Crystal Lani Kitt was the alleged ringleader in a massive criminal enterprise, according to law enforcement. She is allegedly responsible for stealing $900,000 in fraudulent emergency aid involving the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Kitt allegedly had even involved her mother and daughter on the scheme. Her mother, Laticha Louise Kitt, pleaded guilty to criminal charges and last month received a sentence of five years’ probation, including four months of home confinement. U.S. District Judge Ginny Granade also ordered her to pay back $30,000 she received.
The spill caused billions of dollars in environmental and economic losses for Gulf Coast residents and businesses. Kitt was able to scam the system by filing more than 100 claims using stolen identities against the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, which BP created to compensate residents and businesses. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the region, it may be the biggest fraudulent claim by one person related to the BP spill.
Kitt was computer literate and was able to produce fake pay stubs for use in claiming lost wages for various businesses in the Mobile, Alabama, area using fake identities. Kitt was easy to catch because she deposited all the checks received into her personal bank account, even though the checks were not made out to her. She is now facing conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud charges.
