"Highway Robbery": Personal Injury Attorneys Convicted in Staged Crash Scheme NEW ORLEANS — A federal jury has convicted personal injury attorneys Vanessa Motta and Jason Giles on all charges related to a scheme involving staged collisions with 18-wheelers, according to a case first uncovered by WWL Louisiana. The trial, which concluded just over two weeks ago, revealed that the attorneys paid individuals to intentionally crash into tractor-trailers to file lawsuits and secure larger settlements. A third defendant, Diaminike Stalbert, was found guilty of making false statements but was cleared of a conspiracy charge. Prosecutors alleged that Motta and Giles orchestrated a scheme where so-called “slammers” were recruited to stage crashes, enabling the attorneys to exploit legal loopholes and maximize financial gains. The attorneys admitted the existence of the scheme but claimed they were unaware of its full extent. The convictions included charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, multiple mail fraud counts, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering for Motta and her law firm. Testimony during the trial included accounts from individuals who participated in the scheme. Damian Labeaud and Ryan Harris, referred to as “slammers,” described being paid to stage collisions. Danny Patrick Keating Jr., who pleaded guilty and testified against the defendants, and disbarred attorney Sean Alfortish, a former magistrate, also provided critical evidence. An FBI special agent and a lawyer familiar with the scheme were among the witnesses. Leon “Chunky” Parker and Cornelius Garrison III, another slammer who had been cooperating with the FBI before his 2020 murder, were central to the case. Prosecutors noted that Garrison’s death temporarily slowed the pace of indictments.#vanessa_motta #jason_giles #diaminike_stalbert #operation_sideswipe #wwl_louisiana
