Donald Leon "Don" Blankenship (born March 14, 1950) was both Chairman and CEO of the Massey Energy Company — the sixth largest coal company (by 2008 production) in the United States[1] — from 2000 until his retirement in 2010.[2] A federal grand juryindicted Blankenship on November 13, 2014, for conspiracy to violate mandatory federal mine safety and health standards, conspiracy to impede federal mine safety officials, making false statements to the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as securities fraud. The charges derive from circumstances that led up to the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster which on April 5, 2010 killed 29 miners in Raleigh County, West Virginia. He faces up to 31 years in prison if convicted of all charges.[3]