Six years and one day after an explosion at Upper Big Branch Mine, Raleigh County, WV, claimed the lives of 29 miners, former Massey Energy CEO, Don Blankenship, was sentenced to a year in federal prison and ordered to pay a $250,000.00 fine, an amount well above what the federal sentencing guidelines recommend.
Following his sentence, he was released and allowed to self-report to prison. The day after sentencing, Blankenship’s attorneys filed a notice of appeal to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, along with a request for relief from U.S. District Court Judge Irene Berger’s denial of a stay of sentencing pending the outcome of the appeal.