But the charges against the Volkswagen executives are just as striking and show that prosecutors are determined to hold the company’s highest ranks to account. The Volkswagen case is the first major test of a Justice Department commitment to hold executives more accountable. They and Mr. Schmidt were charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, defraud customers and violate the Clean Air Act. It was unclear whether the five executives named on Wednesday would ever appear in a United States court. None of the executives charged on Wednesday were members of the Volkswagen management board, although several of them reported directly to the board.

Source: New York Times January 11, 2017 18:38 UTC