A Houma man has been sentenced to one year in prison for fraudulently receiving money from the $20 billion claims fund that BP PLC established after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey also ordered 25-year-old Nicholas Billiot to pay $26,000 in restitution to the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.
Billiot pleaded guilty in June to one count of mail fraud.
Federal prosecutors say the GCCF issued $26,000 in checks to Billiot, who claimed he owned a company called Hope’s Home Improvement that lost business after last year’s Deepwater Horizon rig blast triggered the massive spill. Prosecutors say the company never operated or conducted any business.
Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Hedge Fund Money Is Reshaping a 180-Year-Old Insurance Model 
Amish Mother and 6 Children Killed in Explosion and Fire at Pennsylvania Home 
Business Interruption Claims Arising From the Middle East Conflict 
Ex-CEO, Ex-CFO of Bankrupt AI Company Charged With Fraud 
