Texas Lawyer Acquitted of BP Oil Spill Fraud
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.
Two people were convicted of the 66 charges — Gregory Warren of Lafayette, Louisiana, and Thi Houng "Kristy" Le of Grand Bay, Alabama.
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.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/prosecutor-texas-lawyer-acquitted-bp-oil-spill-fraud-41493570
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