A former superintendent at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch (W.Va.) mine where 29 miners were killed in an April 2010 explosion was charged today with conspiracy to violate federal money safety laws. He is the third former Massey official to face criminal charges related the explosion.

The Charleston Gazette’s Ken Ward Jr, writes that Gary May is accused of plotting with others to put production ahead of worker safety and covered up serious mine safety law violations.

May is accused of taking part in a scheme to provide advance warning of government inspections and then conceal violations before federal agents could make it into working sections of the sprawling Raleigh County mine.
Also, May is alleged to have ordered an unidentified person to falsify mine examination records by omitting a hazardous condition required to be reported and then repaired.

Click here for Ward’s full story.

In December, the federal government and Alpha Minerals—which took over Massey several months after the deadly disaster—reached a $210 million settlement that included investments in mine safety and research, civil penalties and restitution to families. It did not eliminate the possiibility of criminal prosecutions of individuals connected to the deadly explosion.

Massey’s former director of security will be sentenced next week for lying to investigators and destroying evidence. He faces up to 25 years in prison. A mine foreman was convicted  of faking his foreman’s license and performing vital safety safety examinations he wasn’t qualified to conduct.

The U.S. Attorney leading the case says the investigation is ongoing and others could face charges in the deadly blast.