Trial Set for Mississippi Man Charged in Oil Spill Claim Fraud

A Feb. 7 trial date has been set for a man charged with submitting a fraudulent claim to the fund set of for victims of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Moses W. Keys is charged with one federal fraud count for allegedly lying when he said the oil spill caused him to lose income at the seafood company where he worked. In August 2010, BP set up a $20 billion fund in response to the Deepwater Horizon explosion that killing 11 workers and dumped millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf.

Court records say Keys was paid $23,200 for a false claim. He pleaded not guilty Monday.

His attorney didn’t immediately respond to a message.

The trial is scheduled to take place in U.S. District Court in Gulfport.