Gulf Coast Claims Facility News

Mississippi Man’s Oil Spill Fraud Trial Set

A South Mississippi man is scheduled for trial Feb. 18 on federal charges that he faked documents about his employment to receive $36,000 in oil-spill recovery money. The Sun Herald reports a federal grand jury in Gulfport indicted Elvis O’Neal …

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 …

Mississippi Man Faces Oil Spill Fraud Trial

A South Mississippi man faces trial in a federal fraud case alleging he lied about his past employment to get $25,800 in oil spill recovery money. Court records say Shawn Albert Townsel received the money after claiming he lost work …

South Mississippi Residents Accused of Fraud

Three South Mississippi residents are charged in separate indictments alleging they made false statements to receive thousands of dollars in oil-spill recovery money. Vester Ray Bassham is set for trial Oct. 7. Kimberly Marie Isabell and Joseph Anthony Clements are …

BP Oil Spill Settlement Payments Exceed $1B Mark

Businesses and individuals who claim BP’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico cost them money have been paid more than $1 billion through the company’s class action settlement with a team of private plaintiffs’ attorneys, court-supervised claims administrator Patrick …

High-Profile Fund Administrator Feinberg Discusses Victim Compensation, Lessons Learned

Having administered several high profile compensation funds over the course of 30 years, Kenneth Feinberg is no stranger to controversy. In an interview with Claims Journal, the attorney, author and adjunct law professor at several prominent East Coast universities, details …

Louisiana Man Accused of Defrauding Spill Victims’ Fund

Federal prosecutors say a 41-year-old businessman who moved to New Orleans, La., from Georgia after the catastrophic BP oil spill in 2010 has been charged with defrauding a compensation fund set up for victims. The Justice Department says Dwayne Smith …

Oil Spill Fund Audit Finds Underpayments of $64M

An audit of the $20 billion fund for paying victims of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill found “significant errors” that led to about 7,300 claimants who were underpaid receiving an extra $64 million, the U.S. Justice Department said …

BP Proposes Gulf Spill Accord Terms, Trial Delay

BP Plc reached settlements to resolve billions of dollars of claims from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and asked a U.S. judge for a long delay in any trial over remaining disputes stemming from the disaster. The London-based …

Feinberg Defends BP Claims Fund Even As It Faces Legal Challenges

On the one-year anniversary of the Gulf oil spill, BP Plc is facing challenges to its effort to contain another kind of disaster: mass litigation. The oil giant last June established a $20 billion compensation fund for victims such as …