GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A South Mississippi man faces trial in a federal fraud case alleging he lied about his past employment to get $25,800 in oil-spill recovery money.
Court records say Shawn Albert Townsel received the money after claiming he lost work as a first-class painter/blaster with Northrop Grumman/Peyton Sandblasting & Painting in Pascagoula and in Bayou La Batre, Alabama.
He also is accused of giving the Gulf Coast Claims Facility false documentation, including an income tax return and a letter from his alleged employer.
Court documents allege Townsel made the fraudulent claims after the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill of April 2010, and received a check for his recovery money in the mail.
The Sun Herald reports (https://bit.ly/1xGQReV) Townsel’s trial is set for a court calendar that starts Dec. 8.
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Information from: The Sun Herald, https://www.sunherald.com
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