US First Criminal Charges Prepared in BP Oil Spill

[kpete]

U.S. prosecutors are preparing what would be the first criminal charges against BP PLC employees stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident, which killed 11 workers and caused the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, said people familiar with the matter.

Prosecutors are focused on several Houston-based engineers and at least one of their supervisors at the British oil company, though the breadth of the investigation isn't known. The prosecutors assert the employees may have provided false information to regulators about the risks associated with the Gulf of Mexico well while its drilling was in progress, these people said.

The felony charges-which might be disclosed early in 2012, if they are brought-could involve providing false information in federal documents, these people said. A conviction on such a charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison as well as a fine.

The Department of Justice still could decide not to bring charges against the individuals, people familiar with the situation said. It's not unusual for prosecutors to use the threat of charges to pressure people to cooperate in investigations.


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/12/28/first-criminal-charges-are-prepared-in-bp-oil-spill/?ref_dom=freerepublic.com&ref_url=/focus/f-news/2826311/posts

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Couldn't they find any whistle-blowers

to punish?

[FreakinDJ]

2. Trial Ballon by Obama Admin to regain our trust

Don't look at the Banksters behind the curtain were letting off with a fine and no admission of quilt - look at this folks "We're on your side"

[rhett o rick]

4. Yeah, we are going to prosecute some 99%'ers but never any 1%'ers. nm

[FreakinDJ]

5. Could it be any more evident

the charges will be leveled on some poor hourly employee

[Jackpine Radical]

6. Reminds me of the Army. In one case I knew of in Vietnam,

a patrol captured a civilian whom they suspected of being associated with the VC. Normal procedure is to evacuate prisoners for interrogation in the rear. It was not possible to get a helo in to extract the prisoner, so the sergeant in charge of the patrol radioed for instructions. His company commander, a captain, didn't want to abort the patrol's mission in order to escort the prisoner to a point where he could be transferred, so he ordered, "Shoot the Gook." The sergeant ordered 3 troops to carry out the order.

This exchange was overheard by a helo pilot who was flying in the area, and the pilot reported the incident.

There was a court-martial.

The captain said that he didn't order the men to kill the prisoner; in his version, he claimed he had asked, "Did you shoot the gook?" and the first two words of the transmission were cut off.

The captain was exonerated. The sergeant & 3 troops were convicted & sentenced to several years in a military prison.

[FreakinDJ]

7. Sounds about right

[TransitJohn]

3. I will be absolutely amazed if anyone goes to jail, and pleasantly surprised.

No corporate malfeasance is ever punished by jail.