Eight individuals and two New Orleans-based law firms have been implicated in a long-running scheme involving staged vehicle accidents and fraudulent insurance claims. This operation, described by authorities as spanning over ten years, allegedly culminated in the murder of one individual to conceal the fraudulent activities.
The unsealed 10-count indictment, released on Monday by the Eastern District of Louisiana, accuses the law firms Motta Law, LLC, and The King Firm, LLC, alongside eight individuals including attorneys. They face charges related to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, with some defendants facing additional charges.
This latest indictment brings the total number of individuals charged to 63 in a federal investigation referred to as “Operation Sideswipe,” aimed at uncovering the network behind the staged accidents.
Among those charged is Ryan J. Harris, 36, a New Orleans resident, who faces severe allegations including witness tampering through murder, retaliation against a witness, and causing death by firearm usage. If convicted on these charges, Harris could be sentenced to life in prison, along with fines reaching $250,000 for each count.
Authorities allege that the fraudulent activities began in 2011, orchestrating scenarios where individuals would deliberately collide vehicles with 18-wheel trucks before abandoning their cars and misrepresenting the events. The indictment states that these parties also fabricated witnesses asserting the collisions were the fault of the commercial drivers. In total, it claims that 22 collisions were staged under this scheme within the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Harris is tied to the death of Cornelius Garrison, who was murdered in 2020 just days after being indicted for charges related to the staged car accidents. Officials indicate that this killing was part of a strategy to prevent Garrison from collaborating with federal investigators who were probing the collision staging. Garrison had been assisting authorities since 2019 concerning the fraudulent schemes.
In response to the charges, Sean Toomey, the attorney for Vanessa Motta of Motta Law, contends that his client is not guilty. He stated, “The government’s theory – that a lawyer barely a year out of law school decided to participate in a sprawling conspiracy – is terribly mistaken… If these accidents were in fact staged, my client was also a victim and taken advantage by others.”
Authorities further assert that Motta engaged in actions aimed at perpetuating false claims and lawsuits. Meanwhile, representatives from The King Firm, LLC, and Harris’ legal counsel had yet to provide comments at the time of the report.
The penalties linked to mail and wire fraud charges can be severe, with sentences of up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $250,000, or potentially double the gross gain realized by any defendant or the gross loss incurred by any victim.
