DETROIT (AP) — A German Volkswagen executive is scheduled to plead guilty in Detroit in a scheme to cheat emission rules on nearly 600,000 diesel vehicles.

Oliver Schmidt is due in U.S. District Court on Friday. He is charged with conspiracy and fraud.

Schmidt is a former manager of a VW engineering office in suburban Detroit. He was arrested in January.

VW admits using software to get around emission standards. The company pleaded guilty in March and agreed to pay $4.3 billion in penalties, on top of billions more to buy back cars.

Schmidt is accused of telling regulators technical problems were to blame for the difference in emissions in road and lab tests.

Most of the VW employees charged in a scheme are in Germany and out of reach of U.S. authorities.

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