(Bloomberg) -- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's US unit agreed to pay $300 million in fines and plead guilty to criminal conduct to resolve a multiyear probe by federal prosecutors into allegations the automaker deliberately rigged diesel-powered vehicles to cheat on emissions tests.
The company, now known as Stellantis NV, agreed to pay a criminal fine of $96.1 million, forfeit $203.6 million and admit that it conspired to mislead regulators as part of the deal, the Justice Department said in a statement. The company had been under investigation since at least 2017, as U.S. authorities toughened scrutiny over automobile emissions amid Volkswagen AG's own diesel cheating scandal.
“We expect all corporations to deal with regulators and the public openly and honestly,” U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison in Detroit said in a statement. “Unfortunately, one of our district's biggest corporations fell far short of that standard, resulting in today's guilty plea.”
In a statement, Stellantis said it already set aside 266 million euros ($301 million) last year, “which is sufficient to cover the forfeiture and penalty imposed by the plea agreement.”
Fiat Chrysler has previously denied intentionally trying to skirt pollution rules with defeat devices in its diesel vehicles.
Consumer claims related to the vehicles have been resolved and no additional recalls are required, the company said.
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