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Hallibuton Pleads Guilty To Destroying Simulation Data From 2010 Gulf Oil Spill

An anonymous reader writes "Oilfield services giant Halliburton will plead guilty to destroying computer test results that had been sought as evidence in the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the Justice Department announced Thursday. Company officials threw out test results that showed 'little difference' between the number of devices Halliburton said was needed to center the cement casing in the well at the heart of the disaster and the number well owner BP installed, according to court papers. The issue has been key point of contention between the two companies in hearings and litigation ever since the April 2010 blowout. BP and Halliburton are still battling over responsibility for the disaster in a New Orleans federal courtroom. BP had no comment on the plea agreement Thursday evening."

10 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Knowledge and the ocean. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Cutesy, but the Gulf oil spill was 100% man made. Climate change is man made.

    We're at a point in development where we know just enough to be dangerous. And we have a huge industry that's used to f*** up the planet at the whims of clueless and greedy economists.

    The nature is big and resilient but not infinitely so. And when the shit starts hitting the fan the poor people who're least responsible for it bear the brunt of the burder, as always. Millions and millions will die thanks to the actions of the 1%.

  2. Re:what don't we know? by Thanshin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In my wildest conspiracy theories, the English Monarchy and other old money global illuminati types (Bush's?) purposefully had the well blown to punish America for stopping Keystone XL.

    In my wildest conspiracy theories, the very rich and mighty are still people and fuck up often. The only difference is that they consider some millions of dollars to just be the expected cost of doing business.

  3. can't the tests just be rerun? by Trepidity · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Did they throw out the simulation code as well?

  4. well fuck me! by thephydes · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If I pour crude oil into the ocean, destroy the livelyhoods of fishing communities and kill a few of people on an oil platform in a gas fire (and destroy some evidence), I'll get a couple of hundred $k fine. If I buy a gun and go out and shoot the same number of people (and survive the manhunt) I'll get the rest of my life being a jailhouse bitch. Now, I wonder which I would choose?? Haliburton, do you have any vacancies???

  5. Fix the typo in the title already by CoolGopher · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Editor. I do not think that word means what you think it means...

  6. Re:$200.000 in fines by Savage-Rabbit · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Under the plea agreement, which requires court approval, Houston-based Halliburton will also face three years' probation, pay the maximum fine of $200,000..."

    yeah good thing they didn't perform wire fraud(or weren't prosecuted for that)..

    just regular good 'ol boys fraud affecting billions of dollars..

    Foul up an entire ecosystem, wreck the lives of thousands, destroy the evidence, pay $200.000.
    Download 30 songs off a torrent pay $675.000.

    I can't imagine I'm the only one who thinks that is a broke way of valuing things. How about handing in one of those White House petitions about this issue and asking them what they are going to do about it. The answer should be interesting. Even if it turns out to be a gust of hot air at least we'd get to see them squirm for a while.

    --
    Only to idiots, are orders laws.
    -- Henning von Tresckow
  7. so... by MickyTheIdiot · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Halliburton perpetrates huge fraud on the government (in billions) and nothing is ever done.

    They defraud another corporation, they're in trouble.

    You see the pattern here? madoff is only in jail because he defrauded other rich people.

  8. Re: what don't we know? by Joce640k · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Plead guilty to destroying evidence and convicted of manslaughter ... and no one will go to jail.

    Yep.

    If the order was given to destroy data then there HAS to be a person who gave that order. It's time they were hunted down.

    Presumably it's the same person who's now telling them to plead guilty (and save his ass from further investigation).

    --
    No sig today...
  9. Re:Knowledge and the ocean. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Climate change is man made."

    Sooooooo...., the climate didn't change on earth before man appeared here. REALLY?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq4Bc2WCsdE

    Don't be an idiot. Of course it did. For many reasons, not one single factor. What's of concern is that there's a new player at the table: human activity. And whether it's altering climate fast enough to damage human life. And possibly render species extinct at a rate not seen in 65 million years.

  10. Re:$200.000 in fines by __aaltlg1547 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Keep in mind this fine isn't for all of that. It's just for deleting a bunch of data. There are more fines to come.

    That in itself is a criminal act that if you did it in a non-corporate trial would result in prison time, not a fine.