Oliver Schmidt (engineer)
Oliver Schmidt is an engineer and former Volkswagen AG executive, who in 2017 was sentenced to seven years of prison due to his involvement in the Volkswagen emissions scandal.Biography
After studying mechanical engineering in Hannover, Schmidt was employed by Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg.
At the age of 35, Schmidt was transferred to the United States, where he from 2012 oversaw VW's emissions office in Michigan.
In January 2017 while attempting to return to Germany after a vacation, Schmidt was arrested in a men's room at a Florida airport, charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States in the Volkswagen emissions scandal. Had Schmidt been able to board a plane and return to Germany, the chances of him being prosecuted would have been slim as it is unlikely that Germany would have extradicted one of its own citizens to stand trial in the United States. In December 2017, having earlier pleaded guilty, a Detroit judge sentenced him to seven years in prison and fined him $400,000.
