A federal jury has found a former BP executive not guilty of
making false statements to investigators in connection with the
2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Prosecutors said David Rainey, in the early days of the spill,
manipulated calculations to match a far-too-low government estimate
of the amount of oil spewing into the Gulf following the explosion
of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. However, defense attorneys
said Mr. Rainey's figures were made honestly and that he had no
reason to lie.
The jury agreed, and so did the judge.
"I agree with the verdict," said U.S. District Judge Kurt
Engelhardt as he thanked the jurors.
"We respect the jury's verdict," said Leo Tsao, a federal
prosecutor speaking after the trial.
Eleven rig workers died in the Deepwater Horizon explosion,
which resulted in the nation's worst offshore oil spill. A federal
judge overseeing civil litigation in the case ruled this year that
roughly 3.19 million barrels spilled before the damaged well was
capped—a rate of more than 36,000 barrels per day. The government's
initial estimate was about 5,000 barrels a day.
Mr. Rainey also faced a charge of obstructing a congressional
investigation but Judge Engelhardt dismissed that charge this week,
in part because members of Congress, including Massachusetts
Democratic Sen. Ed Markey, could not be subpoenaed to testify.
Mr. Rainey was one of a handful of people charged criminally in
connection with the disaster.
A former BP engineer, Kurt Mix, was convicted on one of two
criminal counts in 2013 after prosecutors said he deleted text
messages about the oil flow following the explosion. His conviction
was overturned because a jury forewoman tainted deadlocked
deliberations by mentioning she had heard something outside the
trial that affirmed her view of Mr. Mix's guilt. Prosecutors have
asked an appellate court to reinstate the conviction rather than
have them try Mr. Mix again.
Trial is pending for BP well site leaders Robert Kaluza and
Donald Vidrine, who have pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges
stemming from the 11 deaths.
Anthony Badalamenti, a former manager for Halliburton Energy
Services Inc., BP's cement contractor on the rig, was sentenced to
one year of probation for destroying evidence in the aftermath of
the spill.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.
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