NEW ORLEANS—
Even though the U.S. Justice Department will neither confirm nor deny that a criminal investigation is underway, attorneys close to the companies involved in the Gulf oil spill say they're anticipating criminal charges in the case. Sentiment on the streets of New Orleans certainly leans that way. "If they knew something was wrong and they didn't correct it or kept on doing it for the gain of money, it should definitely be criminal," declares Jimmy Picone of Robert, Louisiana.But if BP or any other company involved is found guilty, how would a judge invoke a sentence? Could corporate executives wind up behind bars? The short answer is probably not. There is plenty of precedent for corporations facing criminal charges. The Justice Department frequently presses criminal cases against companies for environmental violations. In fact, BP was convicted of criminal charges more than two years ago after a large spill along the Alaska Pipeline. The company was forced to pay a fine of $373 million, which sounds like a large penalty, but is, in fact, a small amount for a company that customarily reports gross profits of about $60 billion every year.
The White House has indicated that Justice Department officials are looking into the oil spill. But no one is yet saying when or if criminal charges might be pursued. Lawyers familiar with the spill say the Feds may be looking at whether BP made false statements to government agencies and if the oil company
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