United States v. The Allied Towing Corporation

BUTZNER, Circuit Judge:

Allied Towing Corporation appeals a conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 1115, which provides criminal penalties against shipowners whose violation of the law causes the death of any person. 1 Allied was convicted for the homicide of two employees who died in an explosion while they were welding the hull of an Allied tank barge at a pier on the Elizabeth River in Norfolk, Virginia. The evidence showed that Allied permitted the welding without securing the gas-free certification required by Coast Guard regulations and that ignition of gases within the barge caused the fatal…