WILLIAMSON, W.Va. (AP) — Convicted former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship claims documents that would have assisted his defense weren’t made available to his attorneys before his trial and he’s asking a federal court to vacate his misdemeanor conviction.
Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship, left, walks out of the Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse on Nov. 24, 2015, after the jury deliberated for a fifth full day in his trial in Charleston, W.Va.
Chris Tilley/AP
Blankenship made the claim in a news release through his U.S. Senate campaign to announce a planned motion to vacate the conviction. No motion was listed on a federal court website Tuesday night.
The statement claims that among the withheld information were federal Mine Safety And Health Administration documents. The campaign’s statement didn’t include the documents.
Blankenship served a one-year prison term on a misdemeanor conviction stemming from the 2010 explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine that killed 29 men in southern West Virginia. Blankenship has long maintained he didn’t get a fair trial.
Deanna Eder, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Charleston, declined comment Tuesday night.
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