4 former Volkswagen managers convicted in ‘dieselgate' fraud
A German court convicted four former Volkswagen managers of fraud on Monday and a decade after 'Dieselgate' exposed deceptive devices installed in many Volkswagen models to pass emissions tests.
Jens Hadler was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison and formerly was Volkswagen's diesel engine development chief, the New York Times reported.
Hanno Jelden, a former VW engine electronics manager, received a sentence of two years and seven months in prison.
Defendants Heinz-Jakob Neusser, a former systems development manager, and a former emissions expert identified as 'Thorsten D.,' received suspended sentences of 15 months and 22 months in prison, respectively.
A judicial panel in Braunschweig, Germany, entered its verdicts in the court that is located close to Volkswagen's headquarters in nearby Wolfsburg.
Panel chairman Judge Christian Schutz called the defendants a 'gang' and said they were guilty of 'particularly serious' fraud, the New York Times reported.
He said Hadler knew of the emissions-testing defeat devices that manipulated software to ensure the vehicles would pass emissions tests since at least September 2007.
Only a relatively small number of people within Volkswagen knew of the device's existence, according to emails used as evidence in the case.
The trial lasted almost four years in the 'dieselgate' emissions scandal that was exposed when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2015 reported many diesel-powered VW models contained deceptive emissions-monitoring devices, Politico reported.
The 'defeat devices' detected when system emissions testing was underway and automatically adjusted engine performance to ensure the respective vehicles met environmental standards.
Berlin's Federal Court of Justice in 2020 ordered Volkswagen to pay up to $31,000 to each of about 60,000 German owners of diesel-powered VWs.
The automaker paid billions of dollars in settlements for installing defeat devices on about 10 million vehicles sold in the U.S., Germany and other markets around the globe.
Legal cases remain open against 31 other defendants, but former VW Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn is not among them due to health concerns, MarketWatch reported.
Winterkorn has denied any wrongdoing in the matter.
Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business of Fashion
26 minutes ago
- Business of Fashion
Former Expedia CEO Buys Troubled Luxury Lingerie Brand La Perla
Former Expedia chief executive officer Peter Kern is set to rescue Italian luxury lingerie brand La Perla, capping a years-long saga for the troubled brand. The move by Kern, using the vehicle Luxury Holding LLC, will give 'perspective and future' to a 'global icon of Italian fashion,' Italy's Enterprise minister Adolfo Urso said in a statement Tuesday. The rescue package includes an agreement to keep all 210 employees, hire 40 more and inject €30 million ($34 million) into reviving the brand by 2027, the ministry said. Kern paid €25 million for La Perla, Italian newspaper Messaggero reported earlier. La Perla has been embroiled in legal disputes after the UK's tax authority requested a winding up petition over an unpaid tax bill. The upmarket brand used to be owned by German financier Lars Windhorst through his investment vehicle Tennor Holding BV. Kern's offer for La Perla wasn't the highest in the sale auction, which included rival Italian bidder Calzedonia, but it won the Ministry's approval on the back of guarantees to keep production as well as product development in Bologna, Il Messaggero said. La Perla has a global retail network but manufactures most of its high-end products in Italy. It sells bras that can cost more than €300, as well as other items including nightwear, pyjamas and knickers, according to its website. By Alberto Brambilla Learn more: Italy Court Seeks to Stop Sale of La Perla Lingerie Brand in UK An Italian court is seeking to halt the sale of luxury lingerie firm La Perla after a UK judge ordered the liquidation of the holding company to recoup unpaid tax debts.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Ford Bronco, Bronco Sport missed top safety ratings for this reason
The Ford Bronco and Ford Bronco Sport SUVs failed to meet the marginal ratings to qualify for a top safety pick in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's latest safety ratings, with the institute noting there is a heightened risk for head and neck injuries in the rear seat of the Bronco Sport. On June 10, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety — a nonprofit group owned by auto insurers with the purpose of reducing injuries from car crashes — said it tested nine vehicles and awarded six models from four different brands a 2025 Top Safety Pick+ award. Three of the vehicles tested — the Volkswagen Taos, Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport — did not earn a top safety ranking, rather came as "adequate," due to subpar performance in one or more of the required tests, the institute said in its findings. The crash tests showed both Broncos put rear seat passengers at an elevated risk of chest injuries. The Taos got inadequate results in the front crash test and for its headlights and pedestrian crash avoidance system. A spokesperson from Volkswagen did not immediately respond to inquiries for comment on the results. Ford Motor Co. spokesman Mike Levine emailed the following statement to the Detroit Free Press: "The 2025 Bronco and Bronco Sport meet or exceed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) regulatory requirements. Both Bronco and Bronco Sport have earned overall 5-star NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) ratings, and Bronco is currently the only vehicle in its segment to achieve a five-star overall vehicle score in NHTSA's testing." The insurance institute said to qualify for either Top Safety Pick+ or the lower-tier Top Safety Pick award this year, vehicles need good ratings in the small overlap front crash test. That test simulates a crash where a small portion of the front of the vehicle impacts another vehicle or barrier. Also, vehicles must get a good rating in updated side tests, an acceptable or good rating in the pedestrian front crash prevention evaluation and acceptable or good-rated headlights across all trim levels. The institute said getting an acceptable rating in its updated moderate overlap front test is enough to qualify for Top Safety Pick, but a good rating is required to earn Top Safety Pick+. The moderate overlap test simulates a head-on collision where the vehicle's front overlaps 40% of a stationary vehicle's width at 40 mph. Its purpose is to measure rear-seat occupant protection. The 2025 models that did receive the Top Safety Pick+ ranking were: Hyundai Elantra, Kia K4 and Toyota Prius, all small cars; the Hyundai Sonata midsize car, the Toyota bZ4X electric small SUV, and the Nissan Murano midsize SUV. The institute said for some vehicles the Top Safety Pick+ award applies only to models built after the date when the manufacturer made improvements to rear occupant protection. For example, the award applies to Elantras built after October 2024, Sonatas built after November 2024 and K4s built after January 2025. The bZ4X award is for vehicles built after December 2024, when the headlights on its XLE trim were changed to the current good-rated ones. The insurance institute report said new ratings also are available for the Ford Bronco, Ford Bronco Sport and Volkswagen Taos, but "these models did not earn awards due to inadequate performance in one or more of the required tests." "The Bronco was disqualified from contention because of marginal ratings for its headlights, pedestrian front crash prevention system and moderate overlap crash performance," the institute wrote. "In the moderate overlap test, measurements taken from the rear dummy indicated an elevated risk of chest injuries, though the Bronco performed well by most other metrics." Ford's Bronco Sport also failed the same evaluation, but for different reasons. The institute said during the test, "the rear dummy's lap belt slid up onto the abdomen from the ideal position on the pelvis, which increases the chances of internal injuries. Measurements taken from the rear dummy also indicated an elevated risk of injuries to the chest and head or neck." The Bronco Sport earned the group's "acceptable rating" in the updated side test, primarily because of high injury metrics for the driver's pelvis. The institute said the 2025 Volkswagen Taos earned "only" an acceptable rating in the small overlap front test because the safety cage, which is designed to protect occupants, did not hold up well. It also fell short in the updated moderate overlap front test and earned subpar ratings for its headlights and pedestrian crash avoidance system. "Although Volkswagen added pretensioners and load limiters to the rear seat belts in the Taos in January 2025, chest injury metrics for the rear passenger remained high in the moderate overlap test," the report stated. More: From sourcing rare earth minerals to internal changes, 5 takeaways from chat with Ford CFO More: Cupholders bedevil auto engineers. How one Nissan designer is trying to get them right Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@ Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ford Bronco, Bronco Sport missed top safety ratings Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Wire
an hour ago
- Business Wire
Ritter Sport USA, Inc. Partners with ReposiTrak to Proactively Deliver Outbound Food Traceability Data to U.S. Retailers
WALDENBUCH, Germany & SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ritter Sport USA, Inc., the beloved German chocolate brand known for its iconic square bars and commitment to sustainability, has joined the ReposiTrak Traceability Network® to share outbound food traceability data with its current and future U.S. retail customers. Ritter Sport is taking a forward-focused approach to traceability, as major retailers and wholesalers now require more extensive data for a wider range of foods than what is mandated by the FDA's FSMA 204 food traceability final rule. 'Our decision to improve product traceability was driven by our commitment to doing what's right for our customers – both retail partners and the shoppers they serve,' said Ralf Hilpuesch, CEO of Ritter Sport USA. 'ReposiTrak enables us to proactively deliver the most complete and accurate food traceability data through a single, centralized platform. This step reflects our dedication to food safety, product integrity and transparency in every chocolate square we produce.' The ReposiTrak Traceability Network is the industry's largest and fastest-growing platform for food traceability, enabling seamless data sharing between suppliers and retailers without the need for additional hardware, software or manual effort. Ritter Sport will utilize the network to deliver traceability data to its U.S. retail partners for every outbound shipment – enhancing transparency and collaboration across the supply chain. 'Ritter Sport is leading by example,' said ReposiTrak Chairman and CEO Randy Fields. 'They're setting a precedent for food manufacturers around the world – taking on traceability because it's the right thing for their customers and because the FDA has signaled that the FTL will only grow from here. That's the kind of leadership that will shape the future of food traceability.' Ritter Sport's decision to voluntarily share traceability data exemplifies a growing movement among food manufacturers to prioritize safety, build trust and modernize operations – regardless of regulatory mandates. With this integration, Ritter Sport gains the ability to: Share outbound traceability data with its current and future U.S. retail customers Streamline supply chain communications and reduce response time in the event of a recall or investigation Strengthen customer relationships through transparency and accountability In addition to openly sharing traceability data with retailer partners, Ritter Sport is committed to sustainability and ethical sourcing across the entire supply chain, aiming to trace 100% of its cocoa back down to the farming organization by 2025. To learn more about Ritter Sport, visit /en. For more information about the ReposiTrak Traceability Network, visit About Ritter Sport Established in 1912, Ritter Sport is a fourth-generation, family-owned company known for its signature square-shaped German chocolate, quality ingredients, vibrant snap-open packaging and commitment to sustainability. Ritter Sport's mission is to do the right thing to create really good chocolate and is the first major chocolate bar manufacturer to source 100% certified cocoa through its El Cacao programs and farmer partnerships. To learn more about Ritter Sport, visit ReposiTrak (NYSE: TRAK) provides retailers, suppliers and wholesalers with a robust solution suite consisting of three product families: food traceability, compliance and risk management and supply chain solutions. ReposiTrak's integrated, cloud-based applications are supported by an unparalleled team of experts. For more information, please visit
