Bay St. Louis Woman Sentenced To Prison For Oil Spill Fraud

Gulfport, Miss. – Katisha Lombardo Deroche, 32, of Bay St. Louis, was sentenced on July 24, 2014 by U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden to six months in federal prison, six months in a community correction center and three years of supervised release for mail fraud in connection with the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis announced today. She was also ordered to repay $13,600.00 in restitution to the BP Gulf Coast Claims Facility.

Deroche submitted false claims and documentation to the BP Gulf Coast Claims Facility claiming she lost earnings and profits as a result of the oil spill. As a result, she received funds from the Claims Facility to which she knew she was not entitled.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jones. It was brought as part of this District’s partnership with the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF), a nationwide initiative to protect available funds and assistance for those victims of both natural and man-made disasters such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and the recent Gulf oil spill. If you have knowledge of fraud, waste, abuse, or allegations of mismanagement involving disaster relief operations, you can contact the NCDF by either calling the hotline at (866) 720-5721, faxing (225) 334-4707, emailing at disaster@leo.gov or in writing to National Center for Disaster Fraud, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4909.