VW pleads guilty in diesel emissions case as part of $4.3 billion settlement

Volkswagen pleaded guilty Friday to fraud, obstruction of justice and falsifying statements as part of a $4.3 billion settlement reached with the Justice Department in January over the automaker’s diesel emissions scandal. It was the first time the company has pleaded guilty to criminal conduct in any court in the world, a company spokesman said, and comes as the automaker strives to put the most expensive auto industry scandal behind it.