The US government has filed its first criminal charges in connection with the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill, accusing a former BP engineer of intentionally destroying evidence about the size of the disaster.
Kurt Mix, 50, was charged with two counts of obstruction of justice in a criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of Louisiana and unsealed yesterday. Attorney-General Eric Holder said Mr Mix allegedly deleted records relating to the amount of oil flowing from BP’s stricken Macondo well after the April 2010 explosion that triggered the disaster.
Other individuals are also expected to face criminal charges in connection with the spill. “The Deepwater Horizon Task Force is continuing its investigation into the explosion and will hold accountable those who violated the law in connection with the largest environmental disaster in US history,” Mr Holder said.