Mississippi Man Sentenced in Oil Spill Fraud Conspiracy

A 34-year-old D’Iberville, Miss., man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud.

U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden this week also ordered Jason Richard Woodcock to pay $105,383 in restitution to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility and $17,092 to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

Federal prosecutors say in a news release that Woodcock filed fraudulent oil spill claims for alleged lost earnings and profits as a result of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on or about April 20, 2010.

Court records show Woodcock alleged loss of employment as a marketing representative with a Gulfport firm and conspired to submit claims for other individuals from another non-existent company known as “Gulf South Seafood.”