A former attorney is facing charges after an alleged hit-and-run scheme involving fraudulent insurance claims and charges in New Orleans, according to authorities.
Vanessa Motta, 43, her fired attorney, Sean Alfortish, and several “slammers” — professional drivers who crash 18-wheelers and flee the scene — are among eight people involved in the conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. in the eastern region of Louisiana.
Another fleeing driver would help the “slammer” flee the scene, the feds wrote. Then, the slammer rider will say that he was driving a car that led to a car accident. Some of the conspirators who will be witnesses say that the drivers of the 18-wheelers were at fault in the accidents, according to the statement.
Motta, who is alleged to have filed fake applications and suits after the accidents, narrowed his eyes in court and denied the charges on Monday, Nola.com reported.
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Vanessa Motta, 43, is facing federal charges for allegedly filing fraudulent insurance claims after car accidents. (MottalawLLC/Instagram)
“When these accidents happened, my client was a victim and took advantage of others,” his attorney, Sean Toomey, told Nola.com.
Motta opened his own law practice, Motta Law, LLC, in 2017, according to his office's website.
He, Alfortish and attorney Jason Giles, who allegedly represented plaintiffs in the New Orleans fake accidents, both had their law licenses suspended in December and were charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and fraud, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
The lawsuit against the attorneys also names a number of other defendants who are said to have participated in or helped create the accidents: Leon “Chunky” Parker, Diaminke Stalbert, Carl Morgan, Timara Lawrence and Ryan “Red” Harris.
Prosecutors say Harris, who was one of the alleged “slanderers,” shot and killed her ex-partner Cornelius Garrison to keep him from talking about the scheme, according to Nola.com. Garrison was cooperating with authorities in their investigation before he was killed in September 2020, the report said.
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Motta was a leading lady in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Jurassic World and a number of other films before her run in with the law, according to her IMDb profile. (MottalawLLC/Instagram)
Jovanna Gardner, who is charged in Garrison's death and who once said she was in a relationship with Harris, said in court that her then-partner admitted to killing Garrison and threatened to kill her if she told anyone, the newspaper reported.
Garrison's killing was a major stumbling block in a federal investigation called “Operation Sideswipe,” in which 50 people have been indicted, according to Nola.com. Only one lawyer, Danny Keating Jr., has been convicted, and is still awaiting sentencing.
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Cars are filmed trying to enter New Orleans on Interstate 10. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Only Parker and Alfortish, 57, were jailed. Prosecutors said Alfortish was “in a months-long scheme to silence Garrison” before the killing by offering to pay him or move him to the Bahamas, according to the report.
Motta was released pending trial on $25,000 bond Monday, while Giles was released on $100,000 bond, according to court records. Motta could not be reached for comment.
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The controversial former stuntwoman worked on Jurassic World, Logan, Furious 7, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and other films, according to her IMDb profile.
Motta's TV commercials portrayed her as “a badass-turned-lawyer” and showed her taking part in several tournaments.
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