The European Prosecutor charges three car dealers in the first indictment of the "Nimmersatt" case.

The case concerns a scheme to introduce severely damaged vehicles from the USA into the EU, resold after superficial repairs, with an estimated damage of 15 million euros and serious risks to road safety.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office, through its office in Berlin, has filed an indictment against three car dealers in the first case sent to trial from the "Nimmersatt" investigation, regarding a network suspected of introducing severely damaged vehicles from the USA into the EU, evading customs duties and VAT, and exposing European consumers to serious road safety risks.

In short
The European Public Prosecutor's Office in Berlin has filed an indictment at the Regional Court of Berlin against three car dealers.

The defendants are accused of participating in a criminal organization and complicity in VAT fraud at the level of final sales.

The estimated damage is 15 million euros.

The scheme targeted the import into the EU of severely damaged cars from the USA, resold after superficial cosmetic repairs.

One of the defendants is in pre-trial detention, and if found guilty, the three face up to 15 years in prison.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office announced on Monday that its office in Berlin has filed an indictment against three car dealers, in what represents the first case sent to trial within the investigation codenamed "Nimmersatt." The indictment was filed at the Regional Court of Berlin.

According to the EPPO, the three defendants are accused of participating in a criminal organization and assisting in committing VAT fraud at the level of final sales. The estimated damage in this case is 15 million euros. One of the accused is already in pre-trial detention.

The case is part of a broader investigation into a criminal network involved in the clandestine introduction into the European Union of severely damaged cars from the United States and their resale to final customers after superficial cosmetic repairs. In parallel, the network allegedly avoided paying customs duties and committed large-scale VAT fraud.

The EPPO indicates that the scheme not only affected the financial interests of the Union but also created serious risks for road safety in Europe. According to the institution, European consumers were unknowingly buying dangerous vehicles at high prices.

The investigation came to public attention in April 2025, when the European Public Prosecutor's Office announced that it had uncovered an extensive active criminal network involved in the clandestine introduction into the EU of severely damaged cars from the USA. At that time, a first series of searches and arrests took place, leading to the capture of the main leaders of the organization and some company directors. New arrests were made later, in February 2026.

If found guilty, the three defendants face sentences of up to 15 years in prison. The EPPO specifies that all individuals targeted are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the competent courts.

The context of the case places it at the intersection of protecting the financial interests of the Union and consumer safety in the internal market. The European Public Prosecutor's Office is the independent criminal prosecution structure of the European Union, responsible for investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to trial crimes that harm the financial interests of the EU.

With this first indictment from the "Nimmersatt" investigation, the case moves from the phase of investigative operations and arrests into the actual judicial phase, more than a year after the network was uncovered by the EPPO in April 2025.