Last fall, Iris Cross beamed into millions of homes, the friendly BP worker hailing from New Orleans who assured TV viewers that the oil giant won’t stop cleaning up the worst oil spill in U.S. history “until we make this right.”

She became the very public face of BP, a soothing contrast to former CEO Tony Heyward, whose PR gaffes cemented public opinion against the oil company.

This is not the first time Cross sought to soothe public anger from a BP disaster. One of her efforts in 2006 so angered a judge that BP was accused of jury tampering and threatened with fines and contempt charges.

Court records reviewed by the Center for Public Integrity show that Cross and her boss admitted in testimony five years ago that they signed thousands of letters to Texans aimed at polishing BP’s image — just days before jury selection was to begin in a civil trial over a 2005 BP refinery explosion that killed 15 workers and injured scores more.

The presiding judge, court transcripts show, derided the letter-writing campaign as a “stunt” clearly designed to influence jurors.

“We have a jury panel coming in today. And it would take an absolute idiot not to figure that out,” Galveston County, Texas Judge Susan E. Criss chided BP during a hearing Nov. 6, 2006 called to address the impact of the letters on jury selection.

“This is so far out of line,” Criss scolded.

BP declined to allow the Center to interview Iris Cross.

One year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, it is still unclear how much the federal government will pay out for damages on the Gulf Coast but the government fund is edging close to the $1 billion cap.

Once the limit is reached, federal agencies will have to scramble to cover costs and individuals and businesses still hoping to receive funds will be out of luck.

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 created a tax-funded trust to pay for oil spill cleanup and damages. The OPA fund is responsible for immediate response efforts and situations when the responsible party cannot be identified or refuses to pay damages. The Coast Guard’s National Pollution Funds Center administers the trust, and enforces a $1 billion cap per incident.

After the Deepwater Horizon explosion, BP established a separate trust for individuals and businesses that suffered damages resulting from the oil spill. Claims rejected by the BP trust or that go unpaid for 90 days may be filed with the OPA fund.

So far, the Coast Guard has obligated $629.5 million for the OPA fund for immediate response efforts, environmental damage assessments, and payment of claims rejected by the BP fund. But as the total costs against the OPA fund increase, BP claims have surged in recent months and the OPA is still reviewing more than 100,000 claims.

The OPA fund has received over 629 claims, totaling $186 million, of which 538 were denied.

Coast Guard officials told the GAO there was “significant risk the cap could be reached in fiscal year 2011 as agencies continue to conduct significant removal activities related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill,” according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.

More than eight months after the Deepwater Horizon spill, researchers are still unable to paint an accurate picture on the amount of oil that remains in the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately 200 million gallons of oil flowed into the Gulf during the 84—day well rupture.

After the initial spill, oil on the surface of the water decreased substantially, but pockets of oil have been found by oil—response officials and scientists. According to a government report released in November interventions such as skimming and dispersants removed about 41 percent of the oil while 37 percent of the oil was naturally dispersed, evaporated or dissolved.

Researchers estimate about one-fifth of the oil released from the BP spill, 46 million gallons, remains in the Gulf, but no one knows exactly where it is. Some possibilities include oil remaining on the sea floor, mixing with sediment and sand, being ingested by oil—eating microbes, or collecting along shorelines.

Yet, the Congressional Research Service report admitted that the “estimates used to calculate percentages contain considerable uncertainty.” Accurate estimates are hindered by the Gulf’s complex ecosystem, the resources required to collect data, and varied interpretations of the results.

“Perceptions of the oil’s fate may influence congressional interest and action, with consequences for the affected stakeholders,” the report noted. If it is perceived that more oil remains and poses environmental threats, there could be continued pressure on Gulf industries. “The fraction of crude oil that is water soluble can persist for weeks to years.”