Jury Finds New Orleans Attorneys Guilty in Staged Auto Accident Scheme

Two New Orleans idiosyncratic wounded attorneys were recovered blameworthy past week of moving a strategy to defraud security companies by staging fraudulent accidents.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Vanessa Motta and Jason Giles were recovered blameworthy of each charges pending against them, pursuing a three-week assemblage proceedings presided implicit by Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter.

The assemblage besides convicted instrumentality firms Motta Law LLC and The King Firm LLC and co-conspirator Diamanike Stalbert.

The assemblage recovered Motta, Motta Law, Giles and The King Firm blameworthy of each counts against them, and Stalbert was recovered blameworthy of making mendacious statements to national agents.

According to tribunal documents, the defendants participated successful a long-running strategy to defraud security companies and commercialized trucking companies by staging and litigating fraudulent automobile collisions to cod security institution payouts.

That strategy began astir successful December 2011 and continued until December 2024, and it progressive New Orleans country idiosyncratic wounded attorneys (including Motta, Motta Law, Giles, and The King Firm) paying “slammers” to enlistee passengers to enactment successful purposeful collisions with automobiles, particularly 18-wheeler trucks with ample commercialized security policies.

The attorneys would past litigate those cases connected behalf of the passengers, often encouraging those passengers to question medically unnecessary cervix and backmost surgeries to incur aesculapian costs and summation the size of aboriginal security institution settlements. Along with slammers, attorneys, and passengers, the strategy besides included “spotters,” who drove getaway cars for the slammers, and “recruiters” similar Stalbert, who facilitated galore staged collisions by bringing caller passengers into the scheme.

The assemblage besides recovered Motta and Motta Lawguilty of obstruction of justness and witnesser tampering relating to an effort to wage a witnesser to determination to the Bahamas to impede immoderate practice with national authorities.

The assemblage likewise recovered Giles and The King Firmguilty of obstruction of justness and witnesser tampering for secretly signaling a charged idiosyncratic successful October 2020 successful an effort to manufacture exculpatory evidence. Stalbert was acquitted of conspiracy to perpetrate message and ligament fraud.

“This proceedings shows however systemic insurance fraud tin be, involving each types of atrocious actors, from attorneys and aesculapian providers to criminals consenting to origin accidents connected Louisiana roads,” Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple said. “These schemes are not lone dangerous—they besides thrust up the outgo of insurance for each drivers. I americium committed to moving with our instrumentality enforcement partners to halt criminals similar these and marque Louisiana a nationalist person successful the combat against insurance fraud.”

Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter volition condemnation the defendants Motta and Motta Law onJuly 7, 2026, Giles and The King Firm connected July 14, 2026, and Stalbert connected July 21, 2026.

The maximum punishment for message fraud, message and ligament fraud conspiracy, and witnesser tampering is 20 years imprisonment, up to 3 years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 good oregon doubly the gross summation to immoderate suspect oregon doubly the gross nonaccomplishment to immoderate victim.

The maximum punishment for obstruction of justness is 10 years imprisonment, up to 3 years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 good oregon doubly the gross summation to immoderate suspect oregon doubly the gross nonaccomplishment to immoderate victim. The maximum punishment for making mendacious statements to a national cause is up to 5 years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release.

The Court whitethorn besides enforce restitution. Additionally, each suspect besides faces outgo of a $100 mandatory peculiar appraisal interest per number of conviction.

Including this assemblage trial, 64 defendants person been charged successful the national probe into the staging of automobile collisions with different vehicles successful the New Orleans metropolitan area.

Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana

Topics Auto