WASHINGTON  - A former employee of Suzuki Motor Corp's  U.S. operations pleaded guilty on Friday to filing a false report and violating the Clean Air Act over excess emissions in more than 23,000 2012 model year motorcycles, court documents showed.

The case is the latest in a series of civil and criminal actions the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department have pursued to crack down on automakers that cheat on pollution tests in an attempt to avoid paying the costs of compliance.

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