The Volkswagen diesel emissions saga has reached a logical legal conclusion. The automaker entered a guilty plea in a Detroit federal courtroom this morning, admitting to a vast, 10-year conspiracy to fool environmental regulators through the use of emissions-cheating defeat devices. As penance, Volkswagen AG must now pay $4.3 billion in criminal fines and civil penalties. That sum can now be added to the multi-billion U.S. buyback of hundreds of thousands of 2.0- and 3.0-liter diesel vehicles manufactured since 2009. While the penalties would be a bitter pill for any automaker to swallow, it's a fraction of the fine allowed under federal guidelines. Had the court pursued it, it might have sparked a brand fire sale down at Volkswagen Group. The plea entered by Manfred Doess, Volkswagen's general counsel, was accepted by U.S. District Court judge Sean Cox. "It is pleading guilty because it is guilty of all criminal counts," said Doess when asked by Cox why the company entered the plea.