Thi Houng Le, Gregory Warren Sentenced in BP Oil Spill Fraud

Thi Houng Le, a/k/a Kristy Le, 34, of Pascagoula, and Gregory P. Warren, 52, of Lafayette, Louisiana, are going to federal prison for their roles in a massive fraud scheme tied to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The pair were sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola on charges of conspiracy to commit identity theft, aggravated identity theft, mail fraud, and wire fraud. Their scam spanned multiple states and exploited thousands of unsuspecting Americans caught in the aftermath of one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.

Le was handed an 84-month prison term, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine. Warren received a far stiffer sentence—204 months in federal prison, also followed by three years of supervised release, and the same $25,000 fine. The sentencing, handed down after a four-week jury trial in August 2016, marks the end of a long-fought case led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service.

The fraud relied on stolen personal data—names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers—scraped from any source the defendants could access. Using this information, they created fake plaintiffs for litigation against BP following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion. Over 40,000 individuals were fraudulently listed as plaintiffs, none of whom had consented to legal representation by the defendants or their associated entities. The goal: cash in on settlement funds meant for real victims.

False occupations, fabricated financial histories, and forged documentation were submitted to the BP Gulf Coast Claims Facility to bolster their bogus claims. The scheme didn’t just undermine the integrity of the claims process—it diverted millions of dollars from people who actually suffered economic and environmental harm. The fraud cast a dark shadow over efforts to deliver justice to Gulf Coast communities still reeling from the spill.

The U.S. Secret Service led the investigation, unraveling a web of deceit that stretched across state lines and involved layers of forged paperwork and shell operations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jerry Rushing and Gregg Kennedy handled the prosecution, building a case that left the jury with no doubt about the defendants’ guilt. The verdict sent a clear message: exploiting disaster for personal gain won’t go unpunished.

U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Craig Caldwell emphasized the seriousness of the crime, noting that identity theft in the context of federal disaster relief strikes at the heart of public trust. With Le now serving seven years and Warren facing nearly 17, the sentences reflect the scale of betrayal carried out in the name of profit.