A former stuntwoman turned lawyer is facing federal charges following an alleged scheme to stage car accidents and file fraudulent insurance claims and lawsuits in New Orleansfederal authorities said.
Vanessa Motta, 43, her disbarred lawyer fiance, Sean Alfortish, and several “slammers” – professional drivers who deliberately collided with 18-wheelers and fled the scene – are among the eight who took part in the conspiracyThis was reported by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Another getaway driver would help the slammer flee the scene, the FBI wrote. The slammer’s passenger then allegedly claimed to have driven the vehicle that led to the car wreck. Other conspirators would testify as witnesses and claim that the drivers of the 18-wheelers were to blame for the crashes, the release said.
Motta, who allegedly filed the fraudulent claims and lawsuits after the crashes, wiped her eyes in court and pleaded not guilty Monday. Nola.com reports this.
‘THE VIEW’ STARS SUNNY HOSTIN’S SURGEON HUSBAND ACCUSED OF INSURANCE FRAUD IN MAJOR FEDERAL COURT
Vanessa Motta, 43, is facing federal charges for allegedly filing fraudulent insurance claims after staged car accidents. (MottalawLLC/Instagram)
“If these accidents were in fact staged, my client was also a victim and taken advantage of by others,” her attorney, Sean Toomey, told Nola.com.
Motta opened her own law practice, Motta Law, LLC, in 2017, according to her firm’s website.
She, Alfortish and attorney Jason Giles, who also reportedly represented the plaintiffs in the fake New Orleans area Both cases had their law licenses suspended in December and they were charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
The lawsuit against the attorneys also named a slew of other suspects who allegedly participated in or helped orchestrate the crashes: Leon “Chunky” Parker, Diaminke Stalbert, Carl Morgan, Timara Lawrence and Ryan “Red” Harris.
Prosecutors said Harris, one of the alleged slammers, shot and killed his former partner-in-crime Cornelius Garrison to keep him quiet about the scheme, according to Nola.com. Garrison cooperated with federal authorities in their investigation before he was killed in September 2020, the outlet reported.
THE FBI’S NEW WARNING ABOUT AI-DRIVEN SCAMS OUTLOOKING YOUR MONEY
According to her IMDb profile, Motta was a stuntwoman in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Jurassic World and a number of other films before she got into law. (MottalawLLC/Instagram)
Jovanna Gardner, who has been charged in connection with Garrison’s death and has said she was in a romantic relationship with Harris, said in court that her then-partner admitted to killing Garrison and threatened to kill her if she told anyone , the outlet reported.
Garrison’s murder was a major stumbling block in a federal investigation dubbed “Operation Sideswipe,” which saw charges filed against 50 people, according to Nola.com. Only one attorney, Danny Keating Jr., has been convicted and is still awaiting sentencing.
RUDY GIULIANI DAMAGED THE COURT IN 2020 ELECTION CASE
Cars are shown trying to enter New Orleans via Interstate 10. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Only Parker and Alfortish, 57, are currently behind bars. Prosecutors said Alfortish “was engaged in a months-long scheme to silence Garrison” before killing him through offers to pay him off or move him to the Bahamas, the newspaper said.
Motta was released Monday pending trial on a $25,000 bond, while Giles was released on a $100,000 bond, according to court records. Motta could not immediately be reached for comment.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
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 television commercials characterized her as a “stuntwoman turned bad lawyer” and showed her involved in numerous stunts.
