A Mississippi man has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges of lying about his past employment to get $25,800 in oil-spill recovery money.
The Sun Herald reported that Shawn Albert Townsel will be sentenced March 26.
Prosecutors said Townsel received the money after claiming he lost work as a first-class painter/blaster with Northrop Grumman/Peyton Sandblasting & Painting in Pascagoula and in Bayou La Batre, Alabama.
Townsel also gave the Gulf Coast Claims Facility false documentation, including an income tax return and a letter from his alleged employer.
Court documents show Townsel made the fraudulent claims after the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill of April 2010, and received a check for his recovery money in the mail.
Townsel faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Topics Energy Oil Gas Mississippi
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Accuweather: Winter Storm to Cause Up to $115B in Damage, Economic Losses 
Zurich Reveals Beazley Stake After UK Insurer Spurns Bid 
Owner of Assisted Living Home Where 10 Died in Fire Denied Access to Insurance Funds 
Navigators Can’t Parse ‘Additional Insured’ Policy Wording in Georgia Explosion Case 
