Volkswagen Dieselgate Gets Even Worse

2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI engine (Credit: Volkswagen)

If you thought the worst was over for Volkswagen after the whole Dieselgate settlement, you’d be wrong. A new low has been achieved as the U.S. Department of Justice indicted six high ranking VW employees for the cover-up.

These six people are being charged with some pretty serious crimes like wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States. According to multiple reports, prosecutors will be pushing for actual jail time, instead of giving the executives a slap on the wrist.

Will it stop at just six going to jail for crimes related to Dieselgate? At this point, it seems like anything could happen.

This comes at the same time Volkswagen has agreed to plead guilty to three felony charges related to Dieselgate. As part of the agreement, the company will pay a $2.8 billion criminal fine. For three years, the automaker will be working under the supervision of a third-party monitor, which will be appointed by the court. The whole purpose is to ensure VW is actually complying with emissions laws for a change.

VW’s tab is climbing even more. It will pay $1.45 billion to settle different civil lawsuits and $50 million for other claims from the U.S. Department of Justice. More fines likely will be coming in Germany.