New Orleans Woman Admits Making False Claim for BP Money

January 12, 2012

A New Orleans, La., woman has pleaded guilty to making a fraudulent claim for money from the $20 billion compensation fund that BP PLC established in the aftermath of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Twenty-five-year-old Natasha Wells faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison following her guilty plea Tuesday to mail fraud.

Federal prosecutors say the Gulf Coast Claims Facility sent Wells two checks for a total of $7,600 after she falsely claimed she worked for a seafood business before the oil spill.

U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle is scheduled to sentence Wells on April 18.