CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The superintendent of the West Virginia coal mine where an explosion killed 29 men was charged Wednesday with conspiracy to defraud the federal government, becoming the highest-ranking Massey Energy employee to face criminal prosecution so far over the deadly blast. Former Upper Big Branch mine boss Gary May, 43, of Bloomingrose, W.Va., is named in a federal information, a document that signals a defendant is cooperating with prosecutors. He is the second Massey employee to face prosecution in the case. Reached at his home Wednesday morning, May declined comment. US Attorney Booth Goodwin said his investigation of the worst US mine disaster in four decades is "absolutely not" finished but did not immediately comment further. Although other mine disasters have led to criminal charges, they’ve typically targeted low-ranking employees and have largely been misdemeanor offenses. A conviction on the federal fraud charge could result in fines and up to five years in prison. It’s a rare, if not unprecedented legal strategy that appears to be moving up the corporate ladder. "I hope they can go up, and I think they will," said Gary Quarles, whose son Gary Wayne died in the explosion. Quarles said he’s surprised the charge reached so high into the ranks. "Usually, they get the mine foreman because that’s the person that signs the books," he said. Superintendents typically don’t and are therefore shielded. But Quarles said the charges suggest prosecutors are <b>…</b>
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