Prosecutors seek maximum sentence in coal CEO’s case

Federal prosecutors are urging a judge to give former coal boss Don Blankenship the maximum sentence and fine for his involvement in a 2010 mine disaster in West Virginia. 

Blankenship, the former head of Massey Energy, was convicted of conspiracy in December, a misdemeanor that carries a sentence of up to one year in prison and a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors are pushing for the maximum but argue it doesn’t refect the seriousness of the situation. 

Blankenship originally faced a sentence of up to 30 years in jail but was found not guilty on counts of securities fraud and making false statements. 

{mosads}The case against Blankenship stemmed from his role managing the Upper Big Branch mine in the years leading up to a 2010 explosion and disaster there that killed 29.

Attorneys started their sentencing memo by listing major coal mining disasters through history and how many miners were killed.

“This history matters. It is a stark reminder that the laws on mine safety are not just words on paper,” they wrote. “The mine safety laws, it is said with good reason, are written in coal miners’ blood.”

The attorneys accused Blankenship of a “cold-blooded decision to gamble with the lives of the men and women who worked for him.”

They said that “only a sentence of many years in prison could truly reflect the seriousness” of the crime and called the one-year maximum sentence “paltry.”

Blankenship’s legal team said the facts of the case show he should only get probation and a fine.

“The defense never contested that Don Blankenship could be blunt and a hard taskmaster, but the truth is that he cares deeply about his family, his community and the people who worked for him,” his lawyer said in his own sentencing memo.