Federal prosecutors have arrested a former BP engineer for intentionally destroying key evidence detailing how much oil was spewing into the Gulf of Mexico from the blownout Macondo Well in the early, chaotic days of the disaster in the spring of 2010. The criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday charges 50-year-old engineer Kurt Mix with two counts of obstruction of justice for deleting hundreds of text messages from his iPhone, the most damning of which indicates that the flow rate from the runaway well in late May 2010 was more than three times higher than the company had officially disclosed to the public and the federal government. The consequences could be severe. Mr. Mix, of Katy, Texas, could face up to 20 years in prison and up to $500,000 in fines. Prosecutors suggested that more arrests could be on the way. From an April 24 New York Times report by Clifford Krauss: According to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint, Mr. Mix, a drilling and completions project engineer for BP, was involved in efforts to monitor and stop the oil leaking from the well following the accident. In October 2010, despite notices from BP that he had to retain all information concerning the well, Mr. Mix deleted ...
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