BP to Pay Hefty Fines
By: Big 2 News Staff
Updated: January 30, 2013
A federal judge in New Orleans has approved a four-billion-dollar plea agreement for criminal fines and penalties against oil giant B-P for the 2010 Gulf oil spill.
It's the largest criminal penalty in US history.
As part of the agreement, the oil company pleaded guilty to 14 criminal counts - including felony manslaughter charges.
Eleven workers were killed when the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig caught fire.
Two high-ranking supervisors on the rig have been indicted separately for allegedly ignoring warning signs of a possible blowout on the rig.
Those cases remain in litigation.
Meantime, B-P has not agreed with the Justice Department on a separate civil settlement involving federal and state claims of damages to natural resources.
