"Bauernopfer" (German for "pawn sacrifice") is a common term in German to mean "sacrificing someone insignificant to get the big guy out of trouble".

So the English translation might be machine-done; in the original German, the word makes a lot of sense and carries a definite meaning.

Not a native speaker, but I've heard the term "sacrificial pawn" being used in such cases in movies and series.

yea, "scapegoat" or "fall guy" would carry a similar meaning to "Bauernopfer" in German.