The government filed its first criminal charges in connection with the 2010 BP oil spill, National Public Radio reported Monday.
The first charge was filed against Kurt Mix, a former drilling and completions project engineer for BP. Mix is charged with obstructing justice for allegedly deleting hundreds of text messages after he was notified of his legal obligation to keep them.
Some of Mix’s messages were recovered forensically. If he is convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail and $250,000 fine for each of two counts of justice obstruction.
More charges in the case are to come.
