BP gets biggest criminal fine in US history for Deepwater disaster
BP has received the biggest criminal fine in US history as part of a $4.5 billion settlement related to the fatal 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Two BP workers have been indicted on manslaughter charges and an ex-manager charged with misleading Congress…
As part of the agreement, BP will also plead guilty to 14 criminal charges…
BP will pay an additional $525m to the Securities and Exchange Commission over a period of three years…
The resolution with the DOJ includes a record criminal fine of $1.26bn, as well as $2.4bn to be paid to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and $350m to be paid to the National Academy of Sciences, over a period of five years.
Attorney General Eric Holder said its resolution “stands as a testament to the hard work of countless investigators, attorneys, support staff members, and other personnel”.
He went on: “In addition to the charges filed against BP, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging the two highest-ranking BP supervisors, who were on board the Deepwater Horizon on the day of the explosion, with 23 criminal counts – including 11 counts of seaman’s manslaughter, 11 counts of involuntary manslaughter, and alleged violations of the Clean Water Act.
“The grand jury also charged a former BP executive – who served as a deputy incident commander and BP’s second-highest ranking representative at Unified Command during the spill response – with hiding information from Congress and allegedly lying to law enforcement officials.”
The executive, David Rainey, is alleged to have intentionally under-estimated the amount of oil spilling from the well…
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster killed 11 workers and released millions of barrels of crude into the Gulf of Mexico over 87 days.
RTFA to be reminded of the enormity of this crime. And crime it was.
I worked in offshore oil beaucoup years ago. Obeying established rules and regulations, living up to oversight long established, severely diminishes the likelihood of a disaster like this. Greedy bastards out to squeeze every penny from the raw resources beneath the floor of the Gulf of Mexico bear the responsibility.
Every beancounter and corner-cutting executive is as guilty as any engineer saving a buck on board that drilling platform. And they all should be locked up in one of Louisiana’s famous garden spots – like the state prison in Angola.
Holler at your Congress-critter to support Bernie Sanders' bill to 
Would this have happened under a Republican administration, wher they insist on saying there are too many regulations, and “the market” knows best?
Thanks for making me look up and learn about “seaman’s manslaughter”.
Michelle Meaders
November 16, 2012 at 12:52 am
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Michael B. Calyn
November 17, 2012 at 7:15 pm