Two charged in 2020 with murder of con man in staged accident

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Federal authorities in New Orleans have charged two people with the 2020 murder of Cornelius Garrison, a participant in staged tractor-trailer accidents who was known to be cooperating with the FBI.

In the indictment unsealed May 6, Ryan “Red” Harris, 35, of New Orleans, and Jovanna Gardner, 39, of Chalmette, Louisiana, are charged with five counts of witness tampering with murder and conspiracy to retaliate against a witness with murder and conspiracy to commit postal and wire fraud. If convicted, Harris and Gardner each face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The two are accused of murdering Garrison, 54, of New Orleans, who had been secretly working with federal investigators on staged car accidents since October 2019, the indictment says. Garrison was shot “multiple times,” the indictment says.

Garrison, also known as “Poonie” or “Slim,” was the alleged leader of the plan. He was accused of orchestrating more than 50 accidents and receiving more than $150,000 from an unnamed co-conspirator. A Sept. 18, 2020, indictment alleged Garrison staged accidents primarily on Interstate 10 from Slidell to Baton Rouge and mostly at night to avoid eyewitnesses. He targeted commercial vehicles, including tractor-trailers, that were changing lanes and caused the accident by using a so-called slammer vehicle to hit the commercial vehicle or semi-trailer in the driver’s blind spot, court documents say.

On September 22, 2020, just four days after his formal indictment, Garrison was murdered to prevent him from cooperating with federal investigators and uncovering the scheme, the indictment says.

Between 2015 and the date of the murder indictment, Harris, Gardner and Garrison “induced or attempted to engage the passengers in the staged encounters to retain the services of attorneys who were part of the plan.” The scheme also involved people who were riding in cars as passengers and knew they would be part of a staged collision. According to court documents, these individuals later lied in fraudulent insurance and medical claims, as well as fraudulent lawsuits based on the staged collisions.

So far, 52 defendants have been charged as part of the ongoing federal investigation, which includes investigations into staged car crashes in the New Orleans metropolitan area. Federal authorities believe there have been up to 100 staged accidents involving semi-trucks in recent years.

Prosecutors said the FBI, Louisiana State Police and the Metropolitan Crime Commission were involved in the investigation.

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