WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Department of Justice announced July 6 that Giovanni Pamio, an Italian citizen, has been charged in connection with conspiracy to cheat U.S. emissions tests.
Making the announcement for the Justice Department were acting assistant attorney general Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, deputy assistant attorney general Jean E. Williams of the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and acting U.S. attorney Daniel L. Lemisch of the Eastern District of Michigan.
Pamio was formerly head of Thermodynamics within Audi’s Diesel Engine Development Department in Neckarsulm, Germany. Audi’s parent company is Volkswagen. The Justice Department says Pamio began a scheme in 2006 to design emissions control systems that would cheat the standard U.S. emissions tests.
Handling the case are Securities and Financial fraud chief Benjamin D. Singer and trial attorneys David Fuhr and Christopher Fenton of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, senior trial attorney Jennifer Blackwell and trial attorney Joel La Bissonniere of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crime Section, and White Collar Crime Unit chief John K. Neal and assistant United States attorney Timothy J. Wyse of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.