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Trial Opens for Attorneys Accused in Staged‑Crash Scheme
'Spotters,’ ‘Slammers’ Allegedly Targeted Louisiana Truckers
Key Takeaways:
- Prosecutors allege attorneys and associates staged truck crashes to file fraudulent insurance claims and lawsuits.
- The Louisiana Motor Transport Association says the schemes harmed truckers and contributed to higher costs.
- Two additional defendants tied to a related witness death are scheduled for trial in August.
Louisiana prosecutors and truckers are seeking justice in a trial involving attorneys accused of staging accidents with commercial vehicles to cash in on fraudulent insurance claims and lawsuits.
The case centers on various people who purportedly were automobile passengers, knew they were part of staged collisions and later lied as part of false insurance claims and lawsuits based on accidents, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Known as slammers, some participants allegedly drove automobiles and intentionally collided with 18-wheeler tractor-trailers and other commercial vehicles in the New Orleans area. After the accidents, the slammers reportedly fled the scene, while a passenger claimed to be driving during the accident.
The scheme allegedly included people called “spotters” who drove around “searching for 18-wheeler tractor-trailers and other commercial vehicles to be part of staged collisions,” an April 25, 2025, court indictment noted.
Other participants purportedly used the names and personal identification information of other people to file false insurance claims based on the staged accidents.
In the latest development, Chief Judge Wendy B. Vitter began presiding over the jury trial prosecuting three people and two law firms for their alleged roles.
The defendants in this trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana are:
- Vanessa Motta, a former film stuntwoman-turned-lawyer, and her firm Motta Law
- Jason F. Giles, an attorney, and The King Firm of which he was a partner
- Diaminike Stalbert
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Chief Judge Wendy B. Vitter. (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana)
Motta, Giles and the law firms each are charged with eight counts (some multiple) for:
- Conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud
- Mail fraud/aiding and abetting
- Obstruction of justice/aiding and abetting
- Witness tampering/aiding and abetting
The firms are accused of pursuing fraudulent lawsuits known to be based on staged collisions.
Stalbert faces four counts — two each for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud as well as making false statements to federal agents.
Two defendants in the case, Sean Alfortish and Leon Parker aka “Chunky,” are slated to face trial Aug. 10. They have been accused of causing the death of federal witness Cornelius Garrison, a slammer who was working with the FBI when murdered in 2020 at his mother’s home in New Orleans.
Trucking’s Reaction
The issued a statement at the start of the recent trial on behalf of hundreds of truckers and companies that keep state supply chains moving.
In 2024, trucking industry wages paid in Louisiana averaged $56,539 and exceeded $5.3 billion in total. The state also employs 26,260 heavy-duty and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
LMTA noted that many of its members for years were deliberately targeted in staged accident schemes “that inflicted severe financial damage, threatened livelihoods and tarnished the reputations of professional drivers who did nothing wrong. These were not victimless acts. These schemes were calculated attacks on Louisiana businesses and working families.”
"They have got to make an example of them."'s Renee Amar and Senator Kirk Talbot joined to explain how lawsuit abuse has run rampant in Louisiana and why accountability is long overdue.
Learn more on how you can stop lawsuit abuse at… — American Trucking (@TRUCKINGdotORG)
It pointed to Louisiana as lacking regulatory protections to curb lawsuit abuse.
“Excessive litigation, inflated claims and the failure to enact meaningful insurance reform have created conditions where fraud can thrive and legitimate businesses pay the price,” LMTA noted. “LMTA is calling on Louisiana lawmakers to take decisive action to strengthen anti-fraud enforcement, restore balance to our civil justice system and deliver real insurance reform.”
in the nation among “” by the American Tort Reform Foundation. Los Angeles is first, followed by New York City and South Carolina.
“Plaintiff’s lawyers are well aware of Louisiana courts’ propensity for liability-expanding decisions and nuclear verdicts, and spend millions of dollars on advertising,” the foundation noted. “Louisiana plaintiffs’ lawyers have cozied up to state leaders and the courts are filled with political bias.”
It added that from Jan. 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, trial lawyers spent $74 million on some 1.37 million advertisements across TV, print, radio, digital platforms and outdoor mediums in Louisiana.
LMTA pointed out its members respect “the judicial process and will allow the courts to determine the facts. However, the damage done to our industry is undeniable. Innocent drivers faced lawsuits. Companies absorbed soaring insurance premiums. Jobs were put at risk. The ripple effects have been felt across Louisiana’s economy.”
