Stellantis agreed to plead guilty to criminal conduct and pay $300 million to settle a multi-year emissions fraud probe surrounding vehicles with diesel engines, Reuters reported.
FCA US LLC, now part of Stellantis, has agreed to plead guilty to a criminal conspiracy charge arising from its efforts to evade emissions requirements for more than 100,000 2014 to 2016 Ram pickup trucks and Jeep sport-utility vehicles in its U.S. lineup, the release said.
The plea deal is expected to be unveiled next week.
The plea deal comes just five years after Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal, now known as Dieselgate. The automaker pleaded guilty to criminal charges affecting nearly 600,000 vehicles in the U.S.
Volkswagen's deception precipitated additional scrutiny that resulted in officials on both sides of the Atlantic cracking down on automakers accused of using illegal software known as defeat devices to dupe government emissions test, the release said.
So far, one FCA employee may face trial for misleading regulators about pollution from the vehicles targeted in the investigation. Last year, the Justice Department disclosed charges against two additional FCA employees in the alleged emissions fraud.
An indictment alleges the employees conspired to install defeat devices in vehicles so they could dupe government emissions tests and then pollute beyond legal limits on roadways, Reuters noted.
FCA has previously resolved related civil allegations while denying it deliberately attempted to cheat on emissions tests.
