Post by Logan on Mar 30, 2016 10:13:38 GMT -6
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Prosecutors are requesting the maximum penalty of a year in prison and a $250,000 fine for convicted ex-Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship, who ran a West Virginia coal mine that was the site of a 2010 explosion that killed 29 men.
In a sentencing memorandum in federal court Monday, prosecutors said the one-year cap on prison time for conspiring to shirk mine safety laws is “woefully insufficient.” But any shorter sentence for Mr. Blankenship could only be interpreted as a “declaration that mine safety laws are not to be taken seriously,” prosecutors wrote.
Mr. Blankenship was convicted Dec. 3 of a misdemeanor conspiracy to willfully violate mine safety standards at Upper Big Branch Mine in southern West Virginia, where an explosion killed 29 men in 2010.
In their memorandum, Mr. Blankenship’s attorneys say he shouldn’t receive more than probation and a fine. They reiterated that they intend to appeal.
Read more: powersource.post-gazette.com/powersource/companies/2016/03/30/Prosecutors-seek-max-of-1-year-in-prison-for-ex-coal-CEO-blankenship-massey-energy/stories/201603300092
In a sentencing memorandum in federal court Monday, prosecutors said the one-year cap on prison time for conspiring to shirk mine safety laws is “woefully insufficient.” But any shorter sentence for Mr. Blankenship could only be interpreted as a “declaration that mine safety laws are not to be taken seriously,” prosecutors wrote.
Mr. Blankenship was convicted Dec. 3 of a misdemeanor conspiracy to willfully violate mine safety standards at Upper Big Branch Mine in southern West Virginia, where an explosion killed 29 men in 2010.
In their memorandum, Mr. Blankenship’s attorneys say he shouldn’t receive more than probation and a fine. They reiterated that they intend to appeal.
Read more: powersource.post-gazette.com/powersource/companies/2016/03/30/Prosecutors-seek-max-of-1-year-in-prison-for-ex-coal-CEO-blankenship-massey-energy/stories/201603300092