ENERGY

A former Texaco Inc. treasurer was indicted on federal charges that he ordered the shredding of documents that were crucial to an employee race-discrimination lawsuit the oil company settled for $176 million. Retired Treasurer Robert Ulrich, formerly the top finance department executive, was charged with trying to sabotage the black workers’ case by conspiring with a subordinate to shred and throw away internal documents the workers’ lawyers demanded. He was also accused of concealing the documents from Texaco’s own legal department. The indictment also names Ulrich’s subordinate, Richard Lundwall, who released tapes of meetings at which he and others seem to mock black employees and plot to destroy evidence. Lundwall had already pleaded innocent to the charges. Ulrich’s attorney was unavailable for comment.