Slidell Man, Casey Thonn, Charged With Defrauding The Deepwater Horizon Economic Claims Center

The United States Attorney’s Office announced today that CASEY THONN, 35, a resident of Slidell, Louisiana, was charged in a two-count Bill of Information with wire fraud in connection with claims he filed with the Deepwater Horizon Economic Claims Center (“DHECC”). 

According to the Bill of Information, on June 24, 2012, THONN submitted multiple claims with the Seafood Compensation Program administered by the DHECC based on losses he allegedly sustained as result of the April 2010 oil spill.  Subsequently, in early November 2012, the DHECC notified THONN that he was eligible to receive approximately $1,750.36 for these claims.

In turn, on December 3, 2012, THONN submitted Requests for Reconsideration of his original eligibility notices requesting his compensation be recalculated based on a false Federal tax return THONN provided to the DHECC.  In that false submission, THONN claimed he received $156,000 of gross revenue from commercial shrimping sales in 2009.  This fraudulent submission increased the defendant’s compensation from $1,750.36 to a total of $357,002.35 for these claims.  In March 2013, THONN received a total of $357,002.35 from the DHECC based on his fraudulent submissions.       

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matt Coman.

(Download Bill of Information )