Former Massey CEO Blankenship Found Guilty in Fatal Mine Blast
- Blankenship convicted on misdeamnor conspiracy count
- `History will hold him responsible,' victim's sister says
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Former Massey Energy Co. Chief Executive Officer Donald Blankenship, one of Appalachia’s last coal barons, was found guilty of conspiring to flout safety rules at a company mine that exploded in 2010, killing 29 workers.
The conviction on one misdemeanor count means Blankenship, once one of the most powerful figures in West Virginia, faces a maximum of one year in federal prison. He was acquitted on two more serious charges of securities fraud and making false statements.