"It did not involve any criminal intent. It did not involve any loss, but it did involve a misjudgment," Park told Zainey.

Halliburton cut its own deal with the Justice Department and pleaded guilty in September to a misdemeanor charge related to Badalamenti's conduct. The company agreed to pay a $200,000 fine and make a $55 million contribution to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, but the latter payment wasn't a condition of the deal.

Sentencing guidelines had called for Badalamenti to receive a sentence ranging from probation to six months in prison. Zainey, however, wasn't bound by those guidelines.

Four current or former BP employees also have been charged in federal court with spill-related crimes.

On Dec. 18, a jury convicted former BP drilling engineer Kurt Mix of trying to obstruct a federal probe of the spill. Prosecutors said Mix was trying to destroy evidence when he deleted a string of text messages to and from a BP supervisor.

Mix faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. His sentencing is set for March 26.