By Mike Spector 

A former Volkswagen AG compliance executive agreed to plead guilty in the U.S. to criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the German auto maker's yearslong emissions-cheating deception, a court spokesman said.

Oliver Schmidt, a German citizen who for several years headed Volkswagen's environment and engineering office in Auburn Hills, Mich., faces charges that he conspired to defraud U.S. officials and customers with diesel-powered vehicles featuring illegal software that duped government emissions tests.

Prosecutors and lawyers in the criminal case told a federal judge Tuesday morning that Mr. Schmidt has agreed to plead guilty, a spokesman for the U.S. district court in Detroit said. Mr. Schmidt is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 4, the spokesman said. Mr. Schmidt had been awaiting trial while behind bars in Michigan.

A lawyer for Mr. Schmidt declined to comment. A Volkswagen spokeswoman said the auto maker continues to cooperate with U.S. Justice Department probes of individuals and declined to comment further.

Write to Mike Spector at mike.spector@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 25, 2017 12:25 ET (16:25 GMT)