After pleading guilty to destroying evidence that implicated contractor Halliburton in the largest offshore oil spill in history — the 2010 BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico — former Halliburton manager Anthony Badalamenti was sentenced Tuesday to one year of probation, 100 hours of community service, and a $1,000 fine.
Prosecutors said that in the aftermath of the disaster, Badalamenti told two Halliburton employees to delete data relating to the cement job the company conducted on the BP well, which subsequently busted, sending millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf and unleashing devastating ramifications in the Gulf's ecosystem still felt today.
According to the Associated Press the judge presiding over the case said the sentence of probation is "very reasonable in this case."
"I still feel that you're a very honorable man," he told Badalamenti. "I have no doubt that you've learned from this mistake."
Halliburton as a company has also faced charges relating to the spill and the subsequent attempts to cover up liability. As Associated Press reports:
Halliburton cut its own deal with the Justice Department and pleaded guilty in September to a misdemeanor charge related to Badalamenti's conduct. The company agreed to pay a $200,000 fine and make a $55 million contribution to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, but the latter payment wasn't a condition of the deal. [...]
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