Offshore Platform Workers Sentenced for Pollution

OIG investigated allegations that offshore oil and gas company employees and contractors illegally discharged oil into the Gulf of Mexico. We determined offshore workers Luke Ball, Darryl Plaisance, and William Smith intentionally discharged oil into the Gulf while operating aboard a platform located on a Federal lease. All three individuals were criminally charged by a Federal grand jury in the Western District of Louisiana. Ball and Plaisance pled guilty to making a knowing discharge of a pollutant, and Smith pled guilty to making a negligent discharge of a pollutant into the Gulf. Ball served almost six months of incarceration followed by supervised release, and the remaining defendants were placed on probation and paid a criminal fine.