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Seven Individuals Indicted for BP Oil Spill Fraud
Gulfport, Miss – Mikal C. Watts, 48, and six co-defendants have been accused of perpetrating a massive fraud scheme in connection with the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
On September 15, 2015, a federal grand jury in Mississippi indicted Watts and his co-defendants on 95 counts of conspiracy, mail and wire fraud, identity theft, and aggravated identity theft.
The indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to defraud numerous victims from Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, and elsewhere, as well as the Gulf Coast Claims Facility and BP.
According to the indictment, the defendants created fake clients for anticipated litigation related to the oil spill, using stolen identities and false social security numbers. They then submitted names of over 40,000 individuals as plaintiffs represented by Watts, knowing that the individuals had not consented to be represented by his firm.
The indictment further alleges that the defendants attempted to obtain payments from the Gulf Coast Claims Facility for persons Watts claimed to represent and ultimately submitted "Presentment Forms" to BP for each of the 40,000 plus individuals Watts claimed to represent.
The total amount of claims submitted by the defendants to BP was in excess of $2 billion, the indictment alleges.
Watts and his co-defendants, including David Watts, 50, Wynter Lee, 37, of San Antonio, Texas, Gregory P. Warren a/k/a Greg Warren, 51, of Lafayette, Louisiana, Hector Eloy Guerra, 48, of Harlingen, Texas, Thi Houng Le a/k/a Kristy Le, 48, of Pascagoula, Mississippi, and Thi Hoaug Nguyen a/k/a Abbie Nguyen, 30, of Grand Bay, Alabama, are scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Gargiulo on Thursday, October 29, 2015 at 1:30 p.m. for their initial appearance and arraignment.
The defendants face serious charges, including conspiracy, mail and wire fraud, identity theft, and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, they could face significant prison time and fines.
The public is reminded that an indictment is a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Gulf Coast Claims Facility and BP have been victims of the defendants’ alleged scheme, which could have resulted in significant financial losses for both entities.
The case highlights the need for vigilance in preventing and investigating financial crimes, particularly those related to disaster relief programs.
Key Facts
- State: Mississippi
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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