Key Bridge case: Head Dali engineer could have charge dropped in 3 years

If he abides by a deal struck with federal prosecutors, the man who was working as the chief engineer of the Dali cargo ship when it rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024 could have his criminal charge dismissed in three years.

If he doesn’t comply, Karthikeyan Deenadayalan’s deferred prosecution agreement with Department of Justice attorneys could spell severe legal jeopardy.

Most of the agreement between federal prosecutors and Deenadayalan became public on Thursday, several hours after his initial court appearance three days after he was charged with violating the Ports and Waterways Safety Act. While the violation is a felony, the allegations against Deenadayalan are eclipsed by the Justice Department‘s sprawling indictment of Synergy Marine Group and a shoreside employee on charges including conspiracy and a statute known as “seaman’s manslaughter.”

At Thursday’s hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Phelps said the deal included Deenadayalan signing off on a statement of facts that, if he defaults on the agreement, could be used to prosecute him for violating the 1972 law.

“Some would say that [such a concession] would effectively operate as a surrender,” U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar said, asking Deenadayalan if he understood the significance of that part of his deal with prosecutors.

Gregg L. Bernstein and fellow Zuckerman Spaeder LLP partner John J. Connelly, who are representing Deenadayalan, stressed that the 46-year-old’s deal with prosecutors was not a guilty plea.

Although Deenadayalan admitted in the agreement to committing a violation of the waterways safety law, the Justice Department agreed to hold off on prosecuting the matter until June 2029 and to dismissing it entirely if the engineer complies with their terms.

Those terms include pretrial supervision and obtaining permission before leaving the country. It could also include cooperation in the government’s case against Synergy, though it’s unclear: A supplement to the deferred prosecution agreement is designated as sealed. Similar to how Maryland’s federal court treats criminal plea deals, it relates to any agreements by the defendant to cooperate with the government, or if no such agreement exists.

In a criminal information filed Monday, prosecutors alleged that Deenadayalan failed to notify the Coast Guard of a “hazardous condition” — specifically, the cargo ship’s setup for fueling onboard generators — that may have adversely affected the safety of the vessel as well as bridges, other structures and the environmental quality of U.S. waterways.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation found that the fuel pump arrangement led to the ship failing to regain power after an initial blackout the morning of March 26, 2024, causing it to careen into the bridge, downing it and killing six people. The arrangement was also central to the Justice Department’s allegations against Synergy and shoreside employee Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair. That trial is now set for the fall of 2027.

The eight-page statement of facts in Deenadayalan’s agreement says that he first recognized unsafe flushing pump usage while on one of the Dali’s sister vessels. It cites correspondence between him and other Synergy personnel, including Nair, about the use of the unsafe flushing pump on the vessels, and notes repeat instances where he expressed frustrations about the fuel supply arrangement or requested parts to use the proper system.

Crewmembers, including Deenadayalan, whose home is in Chennai, India, from the Dali and its sister ships have been largely bound to staying in Maryland since the bridge collapse due to a security agreement with the federal government. Deenadayalan will now also be subject to more travel restrictions as he was also placed on supervised release for his criminal case.

This article has been updated.