Feds: Fmr. Florida City Man Filed Fraudulent BP Oil Spill Claims
MIAMI – (CBSMiami.com) – A 36-year-old former Florida City man filed a fraudulent claim in an attempt to collect $110,000 from BP after the massive oil spill.
Federal prosecutors charged Eliu Gonzalez Tuesday with two counts of attempting to defraud the funds set up by the oil giant following the oil spill that devastated the Gulf of Mexico last year.
In an electronic filing, Gonzalez claimed that he had about $110,000 in lost income as a result of the spill.
Gonzalez who had been residing in Costa Rica faces a maximum of 30 years in prison if convicted. He is being held without bond.
To date, BP's Gulf Coast Claims Facility has doled out more than $5 billion in claims as a result of the spill.
(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
