New Orleans Lawyers Convicted in High-Profile Staged Crash Case Involving 18-Wheelers

Two New Orleans personal injury attorneys were convicted Friday in federal court. The verdict stems from a long-running fraud probe centered on staged collisions with tractor trailers.

Verdict and immediate detention

Jason Giles and Vanessa Motta were found guilty on eight counts each. Charges included conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, multiple counts of mail fraud, and witness tampering.

Their respective law firms were convicted as well. A jury reached the verdict after more than five hours of deliberation.

Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy Vitter ordered both attorneys jailed pending sentencing. Motta is due for sentencing on July 7, and Giles on July 14.

Each faces up to 20 years in federal prison. The judge cited witness tampering and a violation of release conditions in ordering detention.

The scheme and Operation Sideswipe

Prosecutors described a scheme that produced hundreds of pre-planned crashes with 18-wheelers. “Slammers” allegedly filled cars with passengers and steered them into tractor trailers.

Those staged wrecks generated a stream of civil claims and large settlements, prosecutors said. The case was the first to reach trial from Operation Sideswipe.

The investigation has produced roughly 50 guilty verdicts so far. Federal lawyers say the scheme involved attorneys and street-level actors working together.

Key testimony and co-defendants

Multiple slammers testified for the government. Damian Labeaud said he delivered hundreds of bogus crash victims to Giles and others.

Labeaud said he was paid about $1,000 per adult passenger. Another slammer, Ryan Harris, described work tied to Motta and her associates.

Danny Patrick Keating Jr. pleaded guilty and testified. He described code words used to market staged crashes.

Diaminike Stalbert was convicted only of making false statements to FBI agents. She was acquitted on the main conspiracy charge and released pending a July 31 sentencing.

Violence tied to the investigation

The probe was shadowed by a 2020 murder. Cornelius Garrison III, a cooperating witness, was killed in an execution-style slaying at his mother’s home in Gentilly.

Garrison had been working with the FBI and had implicated several people. Authorities say his killing slowed the pace of later indictments.

Vanessa Motta’s fiancé, Sean Alfortish, is awaiting trial on charges related to that killing. Leon “Chunky” Parker also faces an August trial on related counts.

Defense positions and prosecutorial statements

Defense lawyers acknowledged the staged collisions but disputed their clients’ knowledge. They offered no witnesses after weeks of government testimony.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Simpson said prosecutors proved lawyers abused their positions. U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle recused himself, having represented Giles earlier.

Filmogaz.com will continue to follow developments as sentences and related trials proceed. The case has raised questions about attorney ethics and organized fraud linked to staged crash schemes involving 18-wheelers.