# BP Claims FRAUD.



## CCC (Sep 3, 2008)

First of all let me say, if you were DIRECTLY affected by the oil spill, god bless you and you are in my prayers and I hope you get PAID IN FULL. But I PERSONALLY know of people working at McDonalds who are filing claims saying their hours were cut and they weren't. I also know several others in other fields, not going to go into detail that are making claims without any real proof, and some have already received checks. My question is, don't you think at some point there will be investigations into whether or not you rightfully deserved to get paid ?????? My belief is that the government was strong arming BP into sending out checks regardless of the credentials for some, but rest assured six months to a year from now BP will start investigating, and unless you have dotted your I's and crossed your T's they will want their money back and a letter from an attorney is what many may find in the mail.


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## ?MEGA (Jan 31, 2009)

dont be hatin


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## local_hooker (Mar 17, 2009)

I disagree. People sumbitt their paper work and then the claims adjusters at gulf coast claims center review the documents and pay out accordingly. Right now there are over 375,000 claims in the system as per the claims adjuster last wednesday when I went over there. I seriously doubt that BP is going to exhaust any more resources in reviewing claims then they already have. I personally feel that BP is going to write off the loss and continue with business as usual. NOW do I condone fraud certainly not !! But I do think that if you feel you have suffered a loss then you should file a claim. If the claims center deems that you are entitle to a payment then so be it.


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## 85okhai (Mar 15, 2010)

i also know people that are filing fraud claims. people just think its free money getting handed out. i have heard stories of BP counter-suing people in parts of Louisiana who have filed fraud claims.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

I don't know if everybody's required to have the same but with all the documentation and paperwork I was ask to provide, It seem's like it would be kinda hard to file a bogus claim. I know that some still are I just wonder if GCCF is just turning a blind eye to the documentation. If they are, it is for a reason. And I don't think it is so they can sue everyone at a later date.
And then they pay you more than what your claim was for. I'm sure there is some reason for it.


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## ?MEGA (Jan 31, 2009)

you know how many 1000 to 20000 dollar checks it takes to eat up 20,000,000,000? lots. its all PR. lot of it is luck of the draw too. i know indigent bartenders getting checks and buying 50k new cars lol. I love that the spill happened. it'll be a gulf coast stimulus package by the time that fund is depleted. and most people will spend every bit of it. beautiful.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

OMEGA, I do believe you are right.


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## carman (Aug 11, 2010)

I know a waitress on hwy 98 nowhere near water who got $7k for no reason

Basically bp just has to fork over some money, they could care less who gets it, kinda like throwing out MRES to a crowd of rioters, the ones who need it most, wont get it


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## sosmarine (Sep 28, 2007)

I heard that BP issued a check for over $30,000 to the owner of a business in Navarre. The business has been CLOSED for over a year, long before the spill. The property has been foreclosed on.


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## dockmaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Since people are filing for lost income, wont the checks from BP be taxed since they are replacement income? Also taxed with no withholding. Are people that got claim checks, going to get a 1099, supposedly like the VOO program people?
Just curious

Rock on
BillD


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## hogdogs (Apr 19, 2010)

dockmaster, That is my take on it...

1099 and taxed income... I know of a kid waiter in PCB that got $20K+ in his FIRST check... Bet dollars against dog turds that he ain't put aside the tax portion.

Brent


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

It's been publicized that you will get a 1099 after the first of the year and all the BP checks are taxable just like income. So don't spend it all set some aside for our Uncle Sam....
:thumbup::thumbup:


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## Pinksnappertrapper (Dec 7, 2007)

Now what kind of question is that? We get taxed on EVERYTHING.


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## amarcafina (Aug 24, 2008)

In the end !! "What goes around , Come back around " Fraud cases will get caught in the end !


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## Dagwood (Oct 1, 2007)

Here's reality. BP has set aside 20,000,000,000 dollars for people affected by the spill. There are 375,000 claims in the system now. That comes out to $53,330 per claim. If that money gets pumped into the gulf coast area, it will be the best economic stimulus we could envision. There's a lot of bogus claims but let's try and keep this money in our economy, not up north or overseas.


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## feelin' wright (Oct 7, 2007)

There is alot of fraud in the claims process and I am sure that BP doesn't care. The cut the check like they were told to. 

I have a relative in the banking industry and they are cashing BP checks like crazy. I think the majority of the checks have been from people saying they fed their family from fish caught in the gulf and since the gulf was closed for fishing for 4 months they automatically got 8000. Kinda pissses me off as people do not fish the gulf as their only means to feeding their family. We all know that if you want to feed your family fish it is alot cheaper to go to the fish market. This is not directed to people who earn a living in the gulf to put food on the table.


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## dockmaster (Sep 27, 2007)

20B minus about 20-25 percent is a more realistic number. The govt gets theres........ basically for running the spill!! whats that about 5B?
I also don't think that BP is going to spend every penny of the 20B....


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## J Smithers (Jun 27, 2008)

Not that I would EVER condone a fraudulent claim, but the claims adjusters at the GCCF are supposed to determine if your lost income was related to the oil spill. There is not anywhere on the claims form where you make a statement saying the lost income was because of BP. Basically, if you lost income from last year to this year you can file a claim and there is a chance you could get paid. The only way BP can come after the people that have been paid is if they falsified information on the claim form.

And yes, it is taxable. Although I do feel bad for the people who have really lost income because of this, I beleive if I have to pay taxes on the money I make - so should everyone else.


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## carman (Aug 11, 2010)

Alot of people are gonna be screwed when they blow their BP money and havent set aside the tax money


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## Kenton (Nov 16, 2007)

Well i can say that i personally injected $7000 of my "fraudulent" bp check back into local business. If that is bad, i dont want to be right.


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## First Cast (Oct 8, 2007)

A little different view, my wife and friends were at the Bon Jovi concert, and they were talking to a bartender at the Hangout. All bartenders were swamped, and this one said they need help, but people won't work because it's too easy to file a claim and get paid to not work. Sounds like BP is helping create another welfare system.

Once again, people who were legitimately affected deserve every cent they lost due to the spill, but there are too many skanks going for something for nothing.


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## lbhuntley (Oct 6, 2007)

I admit that I was half-asleep while watching Pensacola, CH 3, last night but I thought I heard a local commercial fisherman with 1 crew (not a large operation) say he lost $30,000 due to BP. If correct, let's see, approx $10,000/month x 12 = $120,000/yr gross income. I wonder if he participated in the VOO program? Didn't they get paid fairly well during the 3 months? 

If you watched CH 3 last night and I'm wrong, please correct me.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

....


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## lbhuntley (Oct 6, 2007)

CatHunter, I did a little math and for a boat to gross $375,000/yr, the IFQ owner would have to have over 88,000 lbs of red snapper IFQ at the current $4.24/lb. If the $375K is after expenses, the boat would have to have hold more than 88,000 lbs, maybe 160,000 lbs. That's 5% of the total 2010 commercial TAC and, if I remember right, the most anyone/company can own is 6%. And you would need to catch many more lbs if you are fishing anything other than red snapper. Your operation may have that amount of quota, but the vast majority of reef fishermen don't. 

If company's or individual's red snapper IFQ's averaged 80K lbs, there would only be about 40 IFQ holders (40 x 80,000 = 3,200,000 lbs; approx this year's commercial quota). At the beginning of the program there were 546 red snapper share holders. The average would be approx 5,900 shares per owner. That equals an average annual gross income of $25,000 at $4.25/lb. The fisherman who said he lost $30,000 in 3 months would need well over 28,000 lbs of red snapper quota just to GROSS that amount. That is over fourteen 2,000 lb trips of pure snapper, and I believe he said he only had 1 crew. A little hard to believe.

I firmly believe individuals/companies who can document their claim (2 yrs of tax returns etc) are being justly compensated and in a timely manner. If you can't properly document, you don't deserve compensation. We've got individuals who whine in public. The process has become political and the direction is to give $$$ to make people happy, not because it's deserved.

BP is allowing the fund to be abused because they want to continue to drill in the GOM. For them, the cost of doing business. So let's see, there are about 290,000 people in Escambia County, FL and I'm sure all of us were affected in some manner (couldn't swim; boat; fish; eat fish; invite my Grandpa to Pensacola...) Let's all file!!!

Nov 21, PNJ Headline: "Spill funds flowing past tainted shores".


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

lb, I agree with your statement 100% I submitted 3 years of tax returns and trip tickets and have 0 that's 0 complaints about compensations in a very timely manner. Cat hunter...


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## Fairwaterfishing (Mar 17, 2009)

lbhuntley said:


> CatHunter, I did a little math and for a boat to gross $375,000/yr, the IFQ owner would have to have over 88,000 lbs of red snapper IFQ at the current $4.24/lb. If the $375K is after expenses, the boat would have to have hold more than 88,000 lbs, maybe 160,000 lbs. That's 5% of the total 2010 commercial TAC and, if I remember right, the most anyone/company can own is 6%. And you would need to catch many more lbs if you are fishing anything other than red snapper. Your operation may have that amount of quota, but the vast majority of reef fishermen don't.
> 
> If company's or individual's red snapper IFQ's averaged 80K lbs, there would only be about 40 IFQ holders (40 x 80,000 = 3,200,000 lbs; approx this year's commercial quota). At the beginning of the program there were 546 red snapper share holders. The average would be approx 5,900 shares per owner. That equals an average annual gross income of $25,000 at $4.25/lb. The fisherman who said he lost $30,000 in 3 months would need well over 28,000 lbs of red snapper quota just to GROSS that amount. That is over fourteen 2,000 lb trips of pure snapper, and I believe he said he only had 1 crew. A little hard to believe.
> 
> ...


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

...


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## lbhuntley (Oct 6, 2007)

Gentlemen, I used red snapper because of higher price. If you catch fish of less value you need more lbs. In Pensacola, vermilion are bringing $3/lb. To gross $375K you would need to catch 125K lbs. To net $375K, you would have to catch a lot more.

I fished with a reputable Capt and crew of 2 in early 2000 on a 50' boat, and on a good 4-5 day trip we mignt catch 2K lbs of mingo. To catch 125K lbs we would have needed 62 trips, more than a trip/week. Didn't happen. I don't fish mingo much anymore but still visit Williams and Perido and don't see any boats catching these quantities.

CatHunter, where do you fish, size boat and # of crew? For $75K I'd like to sign on.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

I also owned and commercially fished out of Williams for 10 years (Gulf Rogue) and never saw that much $ produced. 2k Lbs. on Mingos is about correct for a trip and maybe a few hundred Red Snapper. After expenses on a full 5 or 6 day trip with an excellent catch a deckhand would rarely make $600. It's been 18 years since I Offshore commercially fished and the regs have gotten worse. The only regs when I fished was size limits on but a few fish. I even fished Long Line and Bicycle rigs on the same trip. Those were the good old days...:thumbup::thumbup:


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## lbhuntley (Oct 6, 2007)

Sealark, I sure remember Gulf Rogue. I fished with Rick Harris on Nita W in 2000-01 to earn my SPL-RS. Hope you are doing well.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

lbhuntley said:


> Sealark, I sure remember Gulf Rogue. I fished with Rick Harris on Nita W in 2000-01 to earn my SPL-RS. Hope you are doing well.


I built the Rogue in my yard and sold her back around 93. I use to fish around Rick on the Nita W. Is he still fishing? I stopped fishing there when Tubby stopped buying fish. I went down there about two months ago and the Rogue was out on one of the piers just rotting away. One of the boats told me bud owned it now and wanted to sell it. It sure looked in bad shape from what I could see of her.


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## lbhuntley (Oct 6, 2007)

I also sold to Tubby, he was a good man. Rick sold Nite W to Williams 6 - 7 yrs ago and moved to Missouri. I think he has family there. The boat is still fishing. Sorry about the Rogue. Have a great hoilday season!


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)




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## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

No question about it. There is always a small segment of our society that are bottom feeders and will always try to get something for nothing. I hope that the screening process for BP claims is sufficient enough to prevent this group of people from getting much money from the pot and taking it out of the hands of the people that really deserve it.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

...


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Cat hunter, Great video it brings back many memoryies from my days offshore. I agree with the size catch you produce. Most of the boats out of Williams in my days were not that big with that size crew. Plus we fished up untill only a few hours after dark and then rested until morning. I do miss that fishing and would love to go out on a trip if only I could just walk away from all the other crap that goes along with the rugulations of todays controls on commercial fishing with the FRP. Save you money up and go buy the Gulf Rogue from Williams I have been told it's up for sale. (my old commercial boat).:thumbup:


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

yea theres alot of regulations on commercial fishing these days but iam all for it, lets keep the fish coming back at the same time feed the country, We usually don't sleep much out there, some time we work round the clock 36 hours or more until you turn into a zombie and say mercy!! But its all fun and games right now but this is a dying industry with less then 120 boats left in the gulf and no more permits being issued, i predict it being just a thing of the past in the next 30 years, i hope china has enough food to go around the same thing is happing with our farmers..


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## BOHUNTER1 (Feb 18, 2008)

Thou shall not steal! PERIOD


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## user207 (Oct 1, 2007)

*Found this article this morning*

 Seventh Individual Charged With Fraudulent Claims 
WASHINGTON-A woman was indicted Friday in the Eastern District of Louisiana for allegedly filing fraudulent claims for compensation due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Four other individuals were charged this week in Alabama, Michigan, and Mississippi for fraud related to oil spill compensation claims, in addition to two defendants previously indicted on Nov. 22 and 24 in Texas and North Carolina.

These charges were announced today by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorneys Kenyen Ray Brown of the Southern District of Alabama, Jim Letten of the Eastern District of Louisiana, Barbara L. McQuade of the Eastern District of Michigan, Don Burkhalter of the Southern District of Mississippi, George E.B. Holding of the Eastern District of North Carolina, and José Angel Moreno of the Southern District of Texas; FBI Assistant Director for the Criminal Investigative Division Kevin L. Perkins; U.S. Secret Service Assistant Director for Investigations A.T. Smith; and Chief Postal Inspector Guy Cottrell of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

"The charges announced today send a strong message that we will not tolerate any fraudulent activity designed to profit from this tragic oil spill," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. "The Department of Justice and federal law enforcement agencies are placing a high priority on the prompt investigation and prosecution of all forms of fraud related to this disaster."

The indictment filed today charges Cam T. Hang with one count of mail fraud. The indictment alleges that Hang filed a claim with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) for $42,000 for business losses resulting from the oil spill. According to the indictment, Hang falsely stated she was doing business as C.H. Food Mart Inc., a seafood restaurant, and submitted fraudulent information claiming that her business experienced loss of income as a result of the oil spill, when in fact it did not.

Yesterday, in the Southern District of Alabama, two individuals were charged in separate criminal complaints. Travis P. Sigler was charged with wire fraud for allegedly submitting fraudulent pay stubs in support of a $13,000 claim made to the GCCF for lost income due to the oil spill. According to the complaint, the fraudulent pay stubs exaggerated the amount of his income for the purpose of increasing the amount received from his claim. Maria Wright was charged with mail fraud for allegedly filing fraudulent documents in support of her claim to the GCCF for $20,000 in lost income due to the oil spill.

Four other individuals have been charged with crimes related to fraudulent claims of compensation. In the Eastern District of Michigan, Kevin Hall was charged in a criminal complaint unsealed on Dec. 8, 2010, with one count of wire fraud. Hall allegedly falsely claimed to BP that he suffered $9,000 in lost business revenue as a result of the oil spill. On Dec. 7, 2010, an indictment was filed in the Southern District of Mississippi, charging Dennis L. Moore with wire and mail fraud. According to the indictment, Moore allegedly submitted false documents-including a false Mississippi tax identification number, false state tax returns, a false Mississippi Department of Revenue Business Permit, false federal tax returns and false sales receipts-in support of claims totaling $180,000 to the GCCF and to BP for compensation relating to the oil spill.

An indictment filed in the Southern District of Texas on Nov. 22, 2010 charged Sergio Corona with wire fraud. The indictment alleges that the defendant filed a claim with BP for $28,434, asserting that he had lost income because of the oil spill, but submitted false and fraudulent receipts and invoices in support of his claim.

Charlette Dufray Johnson was charged in a superseding indictment filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina on Nov. 24, 2010 with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with her claim to the GCCF. According to the superseding indictment, Johnson allegedly submitted a claim under the name and identity of her deceased sister, falsely claiming to have worked for and been terminated by a company in New Orleans. The indictment also charged her with false claims to the Federal Emergency Management Agency in connection with her previously filing 12 false claims for disaster assistance, totaling $76,666, relating to Hurricane Katrina, a California wildfire, and Tennessee and Georgia storms.

"The FBI is committed to seeking out and prosecuting individuals who commit fraud to obtain compensation intended for those who suffered losses as a result of the spill," said FBI Assistant Director Perkins. "We will continue to pursue disaster fraud whenever it occurs."

"The U.S. Secret Service is proud to partner with the National Center for Disaster Fraud to pursue criminals seeking to commit fraud related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill," Secret Service Assistant Director Smith said. "Cooperation and partnerships such as this have allowed us to focus our resources to uncover and prevent fraud more efficiently than ever."

"Protecting the mail, as well as those members of the public who are legitimately entitled to compensation after the oil spill, is a key concern for the Postal Inspection Service," stated Chief Postal Inspector Cottrell. "The Postal Inspection Service is pleased to have played an integral role since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 in investigating cases of disaster fraud and ensuring that disaster assistance goes only to those who need it."

The cases announced today are a result of coordination between the Criminal Division's Fraud Section, the U.S. Attorneys' Offices, and the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF). The Criminal Division's Fraud Section, U.S. Attorney's Offices, and law enforcement agencies are working in coordination to ensure expeditious handling of oil spill-related fraud cases. The NCDF provides a nationwide process for receiving, screening, de-conflicting, and referring cases of disaster fraud, including fraud stemming from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

In response to a significant amount of fraud associated with federal disaster relief programs that went into effect following Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, a Joint Command Center was established in Baton Rouge in 2005. The command center, now known as the NCDF, has received and screened more than 41,000 complaints of disaster fraud and referred nearly 26,000 of those to law enforcement for investigation. The NCDF-based on its extensive expertise and established infrastructure-has helped victims of fraud related to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma, Ike, and Gustav, as well as those affected by severe storms in more than 20 different states, earthquakes, tsunamis, and wildfires.

Members of the public can report fraud involving the Deepwater Horizon oil spill through the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Disaster Fraud Hotline at 877-NCDF-GCF (623-3423), the Disaster Fraud Fax at 225-334-4707, or the Disaster Fraud e-mail at [email protected]. Individuals can also report criminal activity to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

:thumbsup:


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## CCC (Sep 3, 2008)

And so it begins.........there will be ALLOT more of this in the near future, I can see MANY people going to jail and or getting fined and having to spend THOUSANDS on legal costs. If you filed you better have been legit !!!!!!!


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## happyreefer (Dec 15, 2010)

your right, no one should steal... but remember about 2 1/2 to 3 yrs ago when we were paying 5 bucks for a gallon of diesel.. that's theft in my book.

Id say take everything BP gives you.

If the Government was paying claims, then I would say you'd better be legit... but since BP screw us along with other oil company's... this is our time to screw them a little.


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## skipperspride Lures (Nov 26, 2007)

I manufacture fishing products so my sales were directly affected if you couldnt fish you wouldnt buy fishing products and my claim for emergency payment was denied because I live in NC that doest mean I only sell in NC aint right people getting paid that was not affected and people who was and have had to close their business not getting paid just aint right.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

If you can get anything from BP, GET IT!!!

The money is there to make right what they have made wrong. In order for this to work People have to obtain this money so it can be spent. When it is spent it help's locals recover what BP cost them. It's really pretty simple.


This is what BP want's. That's why they are offering people $5000 to sign a waiver not to sue which does not even have to be reviewed.


That's how I see it anyway.


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Jlw, $5000 for individuals $25000 for businesses. Quick Final claim no questions asked or paperwork required. After submitting request receive check within two weeks. Must have already been approved and received prior payment or payments. "So simple a caveman can do it."
:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

sealark said:


> Jlw, $5000 for individuals $25000 for businesses. Quick Final claim no questions asked or paperwork required. After submitting request receive check within two weeks. Must have already been approved and received prior payment or payments. "So simple a caveman can do it."
> :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


You know it. Just mailed mine off today.


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## love to hog hunt (Nov 1, 2009)

crying over money that does not suprise me 1 question what are all you people going to do when you sue and all that money is gone? let me guess cry some more ? yep


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

what do you mean by you people?


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## wetley49 (Sep 25, 2010)

I ran into a girl at the gas station on scenic hwy while on my way fishing. She said she filed a claim for not being able to fish and she sas she's never fished a day in her life. Can I file a claim against my work for not letting me fish?


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

i would think so all they can do is say no right


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## nextstep (Jun 27, 2008)

it doesnt matter if others consider you worthy or not, thats up to finkinsteinburginhoff. as long as you dont file anything that is untrue. 

file.

imho everyone in the SE if not the whole country was affected in one way or another. the hard part is putting a number on it.


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## Fishahaulic (Mar 21, 2010)

*re:*

I also know someone thats a backwater charter fisherman,Hasn't had maybe 4 trips all year, They have allready paid him a total of 117 K to date, ((Wow))), All I want is what is owed to me.In comparison to years past. 
Think like alot of others his secret was filing as soon as it was available.
And we will never know the extent of whats to come, Untill its allready passed !Arent they still cleaning up the Valdez oil spill today ? 20 years later, hrmm.
For those news casters that say the oils gone, they are just blooming Idiots. Its sitting out there, waiting on the next hurricane to push it over the ledges into shallower water . We do know of a plune thats over 40 miles wide, sitting in 5 k foot of water, Its so thick, Noone can tell how much is really there, But the top of the plune starts at 2k foot of water, They cant see through it, Its just too thick and dence.Hope im not in its way, when it breaks for the beach .
And what happened to the female scientist that was taking core samples all over the gulf of mexico, Last I saw from her, every single core sample within 200 miles radius, there was Oil atleast 2" thick on the floors surface of the gulf sea bed . She just kind of dissapeared ..


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