count for conspiracy to violate coal mine safety rules – AP photo
A federal jury in West Virginia today found coal baron Don Blankenship guilty of flouting mine safety laws arising from a 2010 mine explosion that killed 29 workers.
The verdict remains a significant victory for federal prosecutors, who apparently persuaded the jury that Blankenship possessed prior knowledge of unsafe conditions at the Upper Big Branch mine and that he willfully broke mine safety laws.
An investigation by the Mine Safety and Health Administration blamed the fatal disaster in part on “unlawful policies and practices … including the intimidation of miners” who were discouraged from reporting safety violations.
Blankenship, who was chairman and CEO of Massey Energy at the time of the accident, was found guilty of conspiracy to violate mine safety regulations, a misdemeanor carrying a maximum of one year imprisonment. But a jury cleared him of two other counts arising from alleged securities law violations tied to his company’s statements on mine safety.
