Oil Rig Worker Guilty Of Assault On the High Seas

NEW ORLEANS, LA – A Mississippi man has pleaded guilty to assaulting a co-worker while the two were working on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

James Magee, 51, entered the guilty plea on May 8 to a charge of assault within maritime and territorial jurisdiction, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 113(a)(4), Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced.

Court records state that Magee punched and kicked the victim during the altercation before the two were separated. The injured man was airlifted to a hospital in Morgan City, Louisiana, where he was treated for multiple injuries, including orbital fractures around his eye, torso bruising, and a chipped tooth.

Magee faces up to one year in prison, one year of supervised release, a $100,000 fine, and a $25 mandatory special assessment.

The case was investigated by the Coast Guard Investigative Services. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Calogero and Duane A. Evans of the General Crimes Unit are prosecuting the case.