Halliburton has admitted destroying evidence in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and will plead guilty to a criminal charge, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
Under the plea agreement, which requires court approval, Houston-based Halliburton will also face three years' probation, pay the maximum fine of $200,000 and continue to cooperate in the Justice Department's criminal investigation of the April 2010 explosion and fire on the drilling platform, which k#lled 11 rig workers off Louisiana.
The Justice Department said it would not pursue further criminal charges against Halliburton or its subsidiaries.
Separately, Halliburton made a $55 million "voluntary contribution" to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
In a statement Thursday night, Halliburton noted that the Justice Department "acknowledged the company's significant and valuable cooperation during the course of its investigation, and the company has agreed to continue to cooperate ... in any ongoing investigation related to or arising from the incident."
The spill was the largest in U.S. history: Nearly 5 million barrels of crude oil poured into the Gulf before the sea-floor gusher was capped three months later.
Halliburton's energy-services subsidiary designed and built the well for BP. In early May, the company began an internal investigation to determine whether the number of "centralizers" — metal collars that help keep the well pipe centered — played a role in the blowout. Halliburton recommends installing 21, but BP chose to use just six.
Halliburton ran 3-D computer simulations in May and June 2010, and both times the results indicated there was little difference between the two scenarios. Employees were then directed by unidentified individuals to destroy the simulations, the Justice Department said.
The Deepwater Horizon Task Force was unable to recover the computer simulations.
Halliburton and BP have blamed each other for the cement job that failed to seal the Macondo well.
In a separate statement regarding its contribution to the fish and wildlife foundation, Halliburton said: "Sustainability is at the core of the Company's long-term success and is embedded throughout our business. Our contribution to NFWF demonstrates our commitment to making a positive environmental impact on our world and a strong commitment to our local communities."
No bodies were recovered.
— Jason Anderson, 35, of Midfield, Texas. A father of two. His wife, Shelley, said Thanksgiving was his favorite holiday. Anderson began preparing a will in February 2010 and kept it in a spiral notebook. It sank with the rig.
—Aaron Dale "Bubba" Burkeen, 37, of Philadelphia, Miss. His death at the Deepwater Horizon came on his wedding anniversary and four days before his birthday. He was married with two children.
—Donald Clark, 49, of Newellton, La. He was one of six workers scheduled to leave the rig on April 21, the day after the blast.
—Stephen Ray Curtis, 40, of Georgetown, La., Curtis was married and had two teenagers.
—Gordon Jones, 28, of Baton Rouge, La. Jones arrived on the rig the day before the explosion. He died three days before his sixth wedding anniversary and 10 minutes after talking to his pregnant wife, Michelle Jones. Their son, Max, was born three weeks later.
—Roy Wyatt Kemp, 27, Jonesville, La. Kemp was married. His daughter's birthday was 3 days before the explosion. Kemp was one of six workers scheduled to leave the rig on April 21.
—Karl Kleppinger Jr., 38, of Natchez, Miss. Kleppinger was a veteran of the first Gulf War and the father of one child.
—Keith Blair Manuel, 56, of Gonzales, La. Manuel had three daughters. He was a fan of LSU athletics and had football and basketball season tickets.
—Dewey A. Revette, 48, of State Line, Miss. Revette had been married to his wife, Sherri, for 26 years when the rig exploded. He was one of six workers scheduled to leave the rig on April 21.
—Shane M. Roshto, 22, of Liberty, Miss. His wife, Natalie, filed a lawsuit April 21, 2010, saying she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after her husband was killed in the explosion. He was one of six workers who were set to leave the rig on April 21.
— Adam Weise, 24, Yorktown, Texas. Weise drove 10 hours to Louisiana every three weeks to work on the rig. A high school football star, he spent off- time hunting and fishing. He was one of six workers scheduled to leave the rig on April 21.
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