West Virginia ‘King of Coal’ guilty of misdemeanour

Mr. Blankenship was the CEO of Massey Energy Company, an extractor that, at one point, was the fourth biggest producer of coal in the U.S. and had thousands of safety citations. The misdemeanor charge carries up to one year in prison. As Ken Ward of the Charleston Gazette-Mail reports, Blankenship faced three counts of felony charges – charges that, if he had been found guilty, would have had him faced with up to 30 years in prison.

“This is the first time that I am aware that the chief executive officer of a major corporation has been convicted of a workplace safety crime”, US Attorney Booth Goodwin said in the statement. They used a key government witness who headed a Massey subsidiary that oversaw Upper Big Branch, Christopher Blanchard, to say safety was important to Blankenship. It’s a starkly different scene from the fourth anniversary of the April 2010 blast, when some Upper Big Branch families circled outside the same courthouse, many with Blankenship’s photo on wild-west style signs that blared, “WANTED for Murder”.

Blankenship was acquitted on two other felony charges, according to CNN affiliate WCHS: securities fraud and making false statements to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. “Fast forward a few years to this trial and picture having the defense try to blame the coal miners for the safety violations that happened at UBB”.

Taylor went on to call Blankenship “a tireless advocate for mine safety”, adding that his “outspoken criticism of powerful bureaucrats has earned this indictment”.

Defense Attorney William Taylor said he does not expect Blankenship to spend any time behind bars.

MARRA: Shirley Whitt lost her brother in the mine explosion that sparked the investigation into Massey Energy and its CEO.

The explosion at the mine killed 29 people. It placed Blankenship, and his long record of skirting environmental and safety regulations, in the spotlight.

“This case should never have been brought”, he said.

Blankenship, who was known for his vocal and acerbic responses to the environmental activists and government regulators that targeted Massey over the years, had kept a fairly low profile since the sale of Massey – at least until this trial dragged him back into the spotlight.

Labor groups heralded the conviction as a strong message for corporate CEOs.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Ruby also addressed the jury about the mine’s conditions. The explosion at Massey’s Upper Big Branch mine was the worst USA mining accident in four decades. “You can’t always measure justice by the length of a prison sentence”, he said.

“They got a conviction on, to me, what was the most important count and the most important issue, that he conspired to violate mine safety laws”, said Tony Oppegard, a mine safety advocate and Lexington attorney representing miners.

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