New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty In Oil Spill Fraud

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Federal authorities say a New Orleans man has pleaded guilty to mail fraud in a case arising from the 2010 BP oil spill.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite says in a Friday news release that 26-year-old Kevin Richard fraudulently claimed he was a cook for New Orleans Paddlewheels Inc. at the time of the spill, which disrupted many Gulf Coast businesses and caused job losses.

But, Polite says, Richard was not a cook for New Orleans Paddlewheels. And his false claim led to him illegally getting $26,000 in settlement money.

He pleaded guilty Thursday. Sentencing was set for Oct. 27.

Polite's office says the maximum sentence is 20 years.