Federal judge says former BP engineer can travel to China pending trial

A former BP engineer who won a new trial this year on a charge relating to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill has been granted permission to travel abroad.

A federal judge said Thursday that Kurt Mix will be allowed to travel to China in November to attend his stepson's wedding and visit with family.

Prosecutors have accused Mix of deleting text messages about the amount of oil flowing from a blown-out well after the Deepwater Horizon disaster. He was convicted on one count in 2013 but won a new trial based on juror misconduct. He has pleaded not-guilty.

His lawyers have said there is ample evidence that the Katy, Texas, man shared information about the flow rate with federal officials investigating the disaster.