Former BP Employee Charged With Destroying Evidence of Oil Released

"A former BP engineer who assisted in attempts to stop the flow of oil from the company's Macondo well after the Deepwater Horizon explosion was arrested [Tuesday] on charges of intentionally destroying evidence concerning the amount of oil released from the well. Kurt Mix, who resigned from BP PLC in January, was charged with two counts of obstruction of justice in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in New Orleans and unsealed [Tuesday]."

"If convicted, Mix, 50, of Katy, Texas, could face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count.

Federal Clean Water Act fines against BP and other responsible parties will be based on the amount of oil released during the spill. The act allows for penalties of $1,100 per barrel, and those penalties can increase to $4,300 if the discharge is the result of gross negligence."

Mark Schleifstein reports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune April 24, 2012.

SEE ALSO:

"Ex-BP Engineer Arrested in Gulf Oil Spill Case" (AP)

"Questions, Answers About Arrest in the Gulf Spill" (AP)

"Two Years Later, BP Spill Reminders Litter Gulf Coast" (NPR)