SAN FRANCISCO AP – The pilot of the container ship that spilled 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay was charged Tuesday with two felony counts of lying to Coast Guard officials about his prescription drug use.

Capt. John Cota, 60, previously was charged with two misdemeanor environmental crimes for his role in the Nov. 7 accident that fouled the bay, killed or injured thousands of birds and forced the closure of Bay Area beaches.