A former Volkswagen AG executive received the maximum sentence on Wednesday of seven years in prison and a $400,000 fine for his role in the company’s emissions scandal. One charge was conspiracy to defraud the U.S., and the other was violating the Clean Air Act. “This crime ... attacks and destroys the very foundation of our economic system: That is trust,” U.S. District Judge Sean Cox of Detroit said in court, according to the outlet. In September 2015, the German automaker admitted it had rigged close to 11 million cars worldwide ― including 500,000 cars in the U.S. ― with secret software that would cheat on emissions tests to appear more environmentally friendly. The scandal has cost the company close to $30 billion.

Source: Huffington Post December 06, 2017 22:52 UTC