May 28, 2026
Willkie successfully secured the dismissal of charges against a former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) diesel manager, Sergio Pasini, in connection with the U.S. government’s emissions fraud case that previously obtained guilty pleas from the carmaker and a senior executive.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan recently dismissed the case against Pasini and another senior diesel manager at FCA, both Italian nationals, following the government’s decision to abandon its superseding indictment against the individuals that had sought up to 20 years’ imprisonment. Pasini had been charged in 2021 for his alleged role in a conspiracy to defraud U.S. regulators and customers by making false and misleading statements about the emissions controls and fuel efficiency of more than 100,000 diesel vehicles sold in the United States by FCA. Prosecutors claimed that, among other allegations, Pisani developed calibrated emissions control functions in diesel engines that were designed to deceive emissions tests.
Willkie not only effectively countered the case on the merits but also prevailed against attempts to have Pisani extradited to the U.S. – a rarity in cases of this magnitude involving European nationals.
Notably, FCA resolved its criminal case with the U.S. Justice Department in June 2022, entering a plea agreement that imposed approximately $300 million in fines and recalled the affected vehicles. A third individual defendant also entered a guilty plea pursuant to a plea agreement that was accepted by the Court in July 2023. In addition, FCA paid approximately $500 million in civil settlements with the Environmental Protection Agency and state regulators in the course of the investigation.
The Willkie team was led by partners William Stellmach, Patricia Haynes and Nicholas Reddick and included associates Daniel Morris, Joelle Freeman-McEwan, Trevor Newton, Sophie Dizengoff, Joanna Lamberta and Veenay Komaragiri.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan recently dismissed the case against Pasini and another senior diesel manager at FCA, both Italian nationals, following the government’s decision to abandon its superseding indictment against the individuals that had sought up to 20 years’ imprisonment. Pasini had been charged in 2021 for his alleged role in a conspiracy to defraud U.S. regulators and customers by making false and misleading statements about the emissions controls and fuel efficiency of more than 100,000 diesel vehicles sold in the United States by FCA. Prosecutors claimed that, among other allegations, Pisani developed calibrated emissions control functions in diesel engines that were designed to deceive emissions tests.
Willkie not only effectively countered the case on the merits but also prevailed against attempts to have Pisani extradited to the U.S. – a rarity in cases of this magnitude involving European nationals.
Notably, FCA resolved its criminal case with the U.S. Justice Department in June 2022, entering a plea agreement that imposed approximately $300 million in fines and recalled the affected vehicles. A third individual defendant also entered a guilty plea pursuant to a plea agreement that was accepted by the Court in July 2023. In addition, FCA paid approximately $500 million in civil settlements with the Environmental Protection Agency and state regulators in the course of the investigation.
The Willkie team was led by partners William Stellmach, Patricia Haynes and Nicholas Reddick and included associates Daniel Morris, Joelle Freeman-McEwan, Trevor Newton, Sophie Dizengoff, Joanna Lamberta and Veenay Komaragiri.
