Chief Warrant officer David G. Williams Jr. was indicted on one count of obstruction of justice and one count of giving false statements to investigators.

Each charge carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in jail.

"The Coast Guard takes these allegations very seriously," said Rear Admiral Sally Brice-O'Hara, Coast Guard Commander for the 14th district. "I want to stress that Coast Guard policy, both now, and at the time of the alleged unauthorized discharges, prohibits the direct discharge of machinery space bilge waste into the sea, except in rare cases where the crew is endangered or the safety of life at sea is otherwise at stake."

Agents with the Coast Guard Investigative Service and the Environmental Protection Agency questioned Williams about the release of oil and other waste from the bilge tank of the Coast Guard Cutter Rush into Honolulu Harbor.

Williams allegedly lied and said he had no knowledge of the March 2006 release of roughly 2,000 gallons of untreated liquid from the Rush's bilge tank into the water.

In written and oral statements made to investigators, Williams denied ordering subordinates to pump bilge, a mixture of oil, water, and other lubricants, into the harbor.

Williams remains on duty but has been transferred off of the Rush, according to the Coast Guard.