Report: Criminal charges mulled in BP rig blast

The Justice Department is considering filing the first criminal charges in its probe of the Gulf oil spill, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The charges could be brought against employees of British oil giant BP, including U.S.-based engineers, with the investigation focusing on whether they provided false information to regulators regarding the risks at the Gulf well, according to the Journal, which cited people familiar with the matter.

Gulf oil spill: Complete coverage

An explosion on the Deep Water Horizon oil rig in 2010 killed 11 workers and led to a massive oil spill of more than 4 billion barrels. It was the worst offshore oil spill ever in the U.S., prompting BP to set up a $20 billion compensation fund for those affected by the disaster.

The charges, which could be brought early next year, carry penalties of a fine and up to five years in prison, according to the report. The Justice Department has still not made a final decision on whether to go forward with the charges.

Read the full Wall Street Journal report. ($)

[uncoverup]

Good news! Maybe DoJ Criminal Division Assistant Attorney General Breuer is finally putting a stop to the corrupt practices by careerist U.S. Attorneys under his supervision who use "prosecutor discretion" in selectively not prosecuting their prospective future employers -- corporations and "lawbyer" (lawyer-lobbyer) firms corporations hire to cover-up criminal homicides by the likes of BP and BP's sometime partner ConocoPhillips (see http://Iran-Conoco-Affair.US and http://UnCoverUp.net ).

[lasvegasteacher]

I am going to look forward to watching BP pay for their reckless disregard.

[tiredofeverything]

mulled? lol
Other countries would have already carried out the executions.
Except for Japan and Korea where those responsible would have the good grace to kill themselves.

[vengenceofgod100]

The decrepit BP and and all other partys who should be put on trail for their criminal behavior, especially the morons who tried to cover up the spill itself and hide the evidence, im talking about those who allowed the poisonous dispersents to be used on the oil. The oil was bad enough but it is the disperscents they used on the oil which is the real deadly toxiant used. I tell you all and mark my words that these deadly disperscents used on the oil has killed the Gulf of Mexicos fishing industry, and BP and the U.S. Government are all culpable for this tradgedy. That includes all Government Departments who had anything to do with this folly. But the question remains that government can not investigate government because our government refuses to be held accountable, and our corrupt government with all our corrupt politicians who have sold their souls to Big Oil will always justify themselves, and by so doing condemn themselves. They are nothing but Job 9:20's.

[ajvw]

"im talking about those who allowed the poisonous dispersents to be used on the oil."

that would be your government

[thetruthisnottthere]

You Americans are never happy are you? Invading countries for their oil, us Brits dump a load on your doorstep for you and its moan, moan, moan :)

[AnnieDanny]

I thought news reports at the time suggested Regulators were part of the problem? They signed off on things too easily? If that's the case, I don't see how the govt can bring criminal charges against anybody if they were part of the problem.

[Esquirew]

Has anyone considered "WHY" DOJ is even thinking about criminal charges?

Think about this ...

It is "political" so Gulf residents will vote for Dumb-ocrats ... more deception to make the uninformed think that Mary Landreau and the Kenyan really give a rats tush about them.

Here is a "political" suggestion to the GOP.

Begin an IMMEDIATE advertising campaign that is maintained for the next 11 months.

Saturate the airwaves with ...

"A VOTE for Obama is a VOTE for ERIC HOLDER"

Enhance it any way you like ... Mark Rich, Sue states over ObamaCare & protecting their own borders ..., Sue S. Carolina over voter ID, try KSM in NY, ... the list goes ON & ON & ON ...

Holder is the most incompetent Attorney General in my lifetime ... (born before Pearl Harbor) . . . he HATES the Constitution!
BUT, he is completely LOYAL to the socialist Muslim occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

[antoniof123]

Wow, now this is real fear. I can't imagine living with this fear that is in you. Try medicine and counsoling works wonders for those in your condition.

[Esquirew]

typical Dumb-ocrat response ...

Since you Cannot argue on the merits, the DUMB-ocrat alternative is ... AS ALWAYS ...

KILL THE MESSENGER !

Look in the mirror, Antonio ...

[sjc_1]

4 billion barrels

They mean 4 million barrels.

[IonOtter]

Try watching any of the cable news channels lately?

Every fourth commercial is an advert for LA/MS/TX/FL with this cheesy "Cajun" music that about drives me up a wall, expecting to see an advert for Chili's or Applebee's.

Anyway, the adverts are all being pumped by...guess who? BP. We're talking at LEAST 500 million dollars worth of adverts, because they run at all hours, even primetime. Telling everyone, "Y'all come on down, beaches're great!"

Uh-huh. Just make sure you stay to the beaches in front of the hotels, which get groomed every single night by tractors. If you try to go to any of the PUBLIC beaches out on the barrier islands, you'll get a gun barrel shoved up your nose by a very fat, very sweaty, very MEAN "security guard" that's been hired by BP to "protect the public".

From what, I wonder? What could be so absolutely horrible on those PUBLIC beaches that we have to have some fat, stinky, seal-team wannabe to shoo us away at gunpoint? Maybe some of us should bring a nice, John Deere 6R and a 3710 moldboard to get down nice and deep into that sand, see what's down there. You'll need support folks to meet you on the beach with Jetskis, since you'll have to give the video over to them once the cops show up.

Sound like somethin' folks might be interested in?

[KnowerseekerReturns]

IonOtter, excuse me, but are you yourself from LA/MS/TX/FL? As a Louisiana Cajun myself, I don't appreciate your reference to 'cheesy "Cajun"' music, unless you're saying that the music isn't authentic. Then I could agree with you. There's lots of fake "Cajun" music out there.

Not sure if the rest of your comments are true or not, but it wouldn't surprise me if they are.

[IonOtter]

BWB2020: Well now, that's the trick, ain't it? Let's think that one through, just a little. He's a "security guard", sure, and about as valid a lawman as Kevin James. But if he's down there on a public beach, how do you suppose he gets to *stay* down there? 24-7? I mean, surely the *legitimate* authorities know he's down there, right? Not like there's no shortage of people trying to get to those beaches, so there's been PLENTY of complaints.

Kinda makes y'wonder, doesn't it? Bout' jus' how many in law enforcement are all too well aware that he an' th' other security guards is down there? Mmmmmm, local sheriff, maybe? Water constables? Dept. of Fish and Game? Coast Guard, too?

*cough* Department of Homeland Security *COUGH-COUGH*

Like I said. You'll need some folks on the beach with Jetskis and maybe a few fast Zodiacs to get the video out of there, in several different directions, with people waiting on shore at different places, waiting to upload that video.

Because if someone starts shooting anything other than cameras, it's gonna be a VERY short fight.

[Lerianis4]

About damned time! The fact is that numerous regulations were ignored, which is what lead to this accident. Add into this the hiding of the evidence that showed that the BOP was not as reliable as BP and other companies were saying it was? You have a basis for a couple of decades of imprisonment for the people who knew about that data and hid it.

The DoJ needs to get harsh on companies when they hide data like this and BANKRUPT THEM! That is the absolute only way that these companies are going to realize "Hey, we do not 'fudge the numbers' on anything.... we release the exact data we have!"
Only by hitting them in their pocketbooks will they get the message.