Blankenship Should Face Maximum One-Year Sentence, U.S. Says
- Government also seeks $250,000 fine for former coal baron
- Ex-Massey CEO slated to be sentenced for conspiracy April 6
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Former coal baron Donald Blankenship should face the maximum sentence of one year in prison for flouting mine-safety rules, prosecutors said, urging a judge to send a message to the coal industry.
The government asked U.S. District Judge Irene Berger in Charleston, West Virginia, to ignore defense requests to sentence the former Massey Energy CEO to probation and a fine for his misdemeanor conspiracy conviction. Jurors concluded in December that Blankenship had sought to ignore safety standards to speed up coal production at the Upper Big Branch Mine, where 29 miners died in a 2010 explosion.