Oliver Schmidt

Oliver Schmidt (born January 9, 1969) is a German engineer, former senior executive for Volkswagen in Germany and the United States as well as a convicted felon. In December 2017, Schmidt was sentenced to 84 months (7 years) in federal prison for his role in the Volkswagen emissions scandal. He was the second German national, after James Robert Liang, to be convicted and sees himself as pawn sacrifice in the entire case. Early life and education Schmidt was born January 9, 1969 in Stadthagen, Lower Saxony then West Germany to Dieter Schmidt and Elke Schmidt. His father worked for a Software company and enjoyed mechanically working on cars, therefore Schmidt was basically growing-up with up to 26 different cars his father has owned throughout his lifetime. After completing his Abitur, he studied mechanical engineering at the Leibniz University of Hannover in Hannover, Germany. Career Since 1997, Schmidt was employed with Volkswagen 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.