Don Blankenship smiles as he leaves the federal courthouse after the verdict in his trial in Charleston, W.Va., Thursday Dec. 3, 2015.
Advertisement
Ex-mining executive, Don Blankenship, could face up to a year in jail for failing to meet safety standards.
Blankenship is facing a maximum fine of $250,000 and a sentence of one year in prison on the misdemeanor conspiracy charge. “We require the government to prove more than that a man was in charge of a company when a awful tragedy occurred”.
A federal jury convicted former Massey Energy Co.
In his closing remarks, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin called Blankenship “an outlaw” and said he operated “a lawless empire”.
Blankenship was convicted Thursday of conspiring to willfully violate mine safety standards.
The former CEO ran the West Virginia mine that exploded in 2010, in what was one of the worst USA mine disasters in decades. He was acquitted of a more serious conspiracy charge that could have netted five years in prison.
“For far too long, West Virginia workers have suffered at the hands of careless employers who are more concerned about making money than they are about the safety and well being of their employees”.
One of Blankenship’s lawyers, Bill Taylor, told reporters the defense team was disappointed by the misdemeanor conviction but doubted Blankenship would serve any time in prison.
Early this morning (NZ time), he was found guilty of violating mine safety law, but cleared on charges he misled safety investigators. The jury also found Blankenship did not participate in a conspiracy to advance warn miners underground when federal inspectors arrived on site. The trial began with jury selection on October 1 and jurors started deliberations November 17 after the defense rested its case without presenting any witnesses.
University of Michigan Law Professor David Uhlmann said that the verdict “brings justice to the families of the miners killed and injured during Don Blankenship’s lawless reign at Massey Energy”.
U.S. District Judge Irene Berger set a tentative date of March 23 for a sentencing hearing.
SHIRLEY WHITT: They did say guilty, so he’s not walking away from this.
Blanchard, the former president of Massey Energy group Marfork Coal, testified for parts of seven days. In addition to that charge, Blankenship was accused of misrepresenting the company’s safety record to securities regulators and to investors.
“This is a landmark day for the safety of coal miners, and not just coal miners, but all working men and women”, Goodwin said in a news release.
Advertisement
The defense argued the government has produced no direct proof Blankenship was involved in any conspiracy, only reams of paper, referring to the thousands of pages of evidence the prosecution has entered in the case.
