Defendant Involved In $900,00 BP Fraud Indicted

United States Attorney Kenyen R. Brown of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Crystal Lani Kitt, a resident of the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, was arrested today by the FBI.  Kitt was charged in a seven count Indictment with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and with mail fraud.

It is alleged in the Indictment that Kitt prepared fraudulent BP claims in names of other members of the conspiracy and in names of individuals who were unaware their names and identifies were being.  Thereafter, Kitt submitted the false claims to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) or had members of the conspiracy submit them to GCCF.  It is also alleged that Kitt and other members of the conspiracy provided one of several mailing addresses to the GCCF, to include but not limited to 2661 Holly Brook Dr., Mobile, Alabama 36605 and 557 Mohawk Street, Mobile, Alabama 36605, knowing those addresses would be used as mailing addresses for checks generated by the GCCF in payment for the fraudulent BP claims.  The Grand Jury charged that Kitt assisted in submitting more than one-hundred fraudulent BP claims, defrauding the GCCF out of more than $900,000.00.  Kitt, it is alleged, deposited someof the checks which were payable to the individuals who had not authorized her to file fraudulent claims into a bank account where she was the only one authorized to conduct business on that account.

The matter was investigated by the FBI and will be prosecuted by AUSA Deborah Griffin.  Several individuals who paid Kitt to file false claims for them have also been prosecuted.

An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until and unless he or she is proven guilty at trial.