The largest criminal fine in history was paid by BP (British Petroleum) related to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. BP agreed to a criminal fine of $1.256 billion, which was part of a record $4.5 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. This is noted as the largest criminal penalty in U.S. history at the time for a corporate offense.
Other large criminal fines include Pfizer's $2.3 billion settlement, which is the largest healthcare fraud settlement in U.S. history but not larger than BP's criminal fine alone. Pfizer's fine included a $1.3 billion criminal fine related to illegally promoting drugs.
While some sources mention companies like Tepco and Bank of America paying even larger total compensations and settlements, those are mostly civil compensations and not criminal fines. For instance, Tepco was ordered to pay enormous compensation related to the Fukushima disaster, but the criminal fines were substantially less.
In summary:
- BP holds the record for the largest criminal fine at $1.256 billion as part of a $4.5 billion settlement for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
- Pfizer's healthcare fraud settlement was $2.3 billion total, with a $1.3 billion criminal fine, the largest in healthcare but smaller than BP's criminal fine.
- Some companies have paid larger civil penalties or compensation amounts, but BP's criminal fine is the record for criminal penalties.
This places BP as the corporation that paid the largest criminal fine in history.
