Associated Press Published

Prosecutors Oppose Blankenships Request for Las Vegas Trip

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 Federal prosecutors are opposing former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship’s request to go home to Las Vegas for Memorial Day.

A prosecution motion filed Tuesday in Beckley federal court says Blankenship owns homes in several states. But there’s little evidence of his ties to Las Vegas, other than his claiming residency there.

Blankenship’s attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Irene Berger last week to allow him to travel to Las Vegas to attend to personal matters, including a trip to a dentist.

Blankenship is charged with conspiring to violate safety standards at Upper Big Branch, a former Massey mine where an explosion killed 29 men in 2010. During his case, his travel is restricted to West Virginia, Pike County, Kentucky, and Washington, D.C. Other travel requires judicial approval.