Texas lawyer acquitted of BP oil spill fraud
Source: Associated Press
Texas lawyer acquitted of BP oil spill fraud
By jeff amy, associated press
A Texas lawyer accused of making up fake clients to sue BP after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Oil spill said after his acquittal Thursday that the government's case against him "fell apart under its own weight of ridiculousness."
Attorney Mikal Watts of San Antonio and four others were acquitted Thursday by a federal jury in Gulfport, Mississippi, of 66 charges of mail fraud, wire fraud and identity theft. They had been accused by prosecutors of making up names or stealing personal information for a list of 40,000 people with claims against the energy giant following the massive spill.
. . .
In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Watts said he and those closest with him were not criminals but victims of a fraud perpetrated by the two convicted, whom he hired to sign up clients. Blaming them was part of his defense.
. . .
Authorities said Watts and other investors had spent nearly $11 million to compile the massive list, but it was riddled with errors, including names of the dead, people who never gave permission for Watts to represent them and even a dog's name.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/prosecutor-texas-lawyer-acquitted-bp-oil-spill-fraud-41493570
[center]
[/center]
= new reply since forum marked as read
