Federal witness murdered in LA insurance fraud investigation

NEW ORLEANS – In a surprise blockbuster indictment as part of the sprawling federal investigation into more than 100 truck accidents staged for insurance fraud that netted millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains, authorities have charged a man with the murder of a federal witness, a felony that may would carry the death penalty.

The September 22, 2020, execution-style shooting of Cornelius Garrison, who had been secretly collaborating with the FBI, was a major setback as authorities sought to advance from small-time con artists and street organizers to lawyers and doctors who they say are being targeted by bogus lawsuits and even unnecessary surgeries have raised millions of dollars.

So far the case has resulted in 52 people being charged and 44 of them pleading guilty, but only a single lawyer, Danny Patrick Keating, has pleaded guilty in exchange for his cooperation. That has sparked some criticism of the slow pace and poor findings of the five-year investigation, but several delays in Keating’s long-awaited sentencing led to speculation of bigger bombshells.

This bomb was dropped on Monday.

The explosive new development unfolded without much fanfare late Monday evening during an initial appearance in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Wells Roby. The charges against the murder suspect and a new defendant had not yet been entered into the federal court database early Tuesday.

Both defendants were clients of Hollywood stuntwoman-turned-lawyer Vanessa Motta, a central figure in the staged accident investigation after five truck accident lawsuits she filed on behalf of clients were frozen due to the lengthy federal investigation.

Motta is listed as “Attorney B” in federal court documents. Her fiancé, Sean Alfortish, a disbarred lawyer who served time in federal prison for an unrelated fraud case, is listed as “Co-conspirator A,” a phrase prosecutors typically use as a clear signal of criminal involvement.

Neither was collected.

It is estimated that the prevalence of accident fraud in Louisiana increases each Louisiana driver’s car insurance costs by at least $600 per year. While some hoped that the case, dubbed “Operation Sideswipe,” would help reduce these costs, suspect lawsuits are still before the courts and these savings have not been realized.

The highs and lows of the massive federal case were chronicled in an ongoing series by WWL Louisiana called “Highway Robbery.” The broadcaster was the first to list Motta, Keating and the King Firm as law firms possibly involved in the investigation.

As the case progressed, dozens of these attorneys’ clients were charged with driving cars with mid-size “slammers” to intentionally sidestep 18-wheel trucks. The vast majority of the risky crashes occurred on stretches of Interstate-10 and other major highways east of New Orleans. This was one of the first warning signs that brought intense scrutiny to defense attorneys for the trucking companies and insurers, who initially exposed the lawsuits as fraudulent.

Now, more than five years after the scheme surfaced and millions were paid out in settlements, all eyes are turning back to federal authorities and whether there will be charges against higher-level defendants.

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