A Houma man has been sentenced to one year in prison for fraudulently receiving money from the $20 billion claims fund that BP PLC established after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey also ordered 25-year-old Nicholas Billiot to pay $26,000 in restitution to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.
Billiot pleaded guilty in June to one count of mail fraud.
Federal prosecutors say the GCCF issued $26,000 in checks to Billiot, who claimed he owned a company called Hope’s Home Improvement that lost business after last year’s Deepwater Horizon rig blast triggered the massive spill. Prosecutors say the company never operated or conducted any business.
Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Florida OIR Approves Four More HO Rate Cuts as Citizens Keeps Shrinking 
Insurance Regulators Defend State-Led Model in Reply to Warren 
Here Are Some AI Doomsday Scenarios Researchers Say Could Put Humanity at Risk 
Claims Against NYC Rental Buildings Nearly Doubled Since 2021: Milford Street 
