Potential scams top 7,000 in BP spill compensation

The $20 billion fund responsible for compensating victims of BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill has received more than 7,000 potentially fraudulent claims, many of which have been referred to the Justice Department for criminal investigations, the fund’s administrator told a Senate panel on Thursday. Attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who is overseeing the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, said of more than 481,000 claims filed, 7,575 are considered potentially fraudulent. The Justice Department has already indicted eight claimants.