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Couple charged with murder of Louisiana-staged hit-and-run conspirator who cooperated

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A man and a woman have been indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with the murder of Cornelius Garrison, a conspirator in the Louisiana hit-and-run scam who was shot to death in his home days after he was indicted for his role in what was the prosecution as “Operation Sideswipe.”

Garrison was killed at his home in New Orleans on September 22, 2020, four days after he was charged with orchestrating collisions involving trucks (and in one case a bus) with the aim of extorting insurance payments from trucking companies. Some of the victims were small businesses that operated one or just a handful of trucks. Others were shipping giants like CR England.

Ryan Harris, 35, known as “Red,” and Jovanna Gardner, 39, were charged by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The charges were announced Monday.

Each was indicted on five federal counts: conspiracy to commit witness tampering by murder; witness tampering through murder; conspiracy to retaliate against a witness by murder; retaliation against a witness through murder; and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

The last allegation is notable because it was imposed by federal prosecutors on the more than 52 people charged in Operation Sideswipe. Harris and Gardner apparently were not charged earlier in the case for actual involvement in the staged accidents, and the mail and wire fraud charges, as well as the far more serious murder charges, appear to be being picked up by prosecutors.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the 52 charges resulted in 48 guilty pleas. No cases were brought to trial.

The prepared statement of charges released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office largely summarizes the basic steps taken in staged accidents: putting multiple people in a car, finding a truck to collide with, often by so-called “spotters.” in a separate car; Allow the person behind the wheel, the so-called “slammer,” to collide with the identified truck. Have the scouts come in and collect the firecracker to take it away from the crime scene. Put someone else behind the wheel. claim injuries and demand medical compensation.

There are few details about the Garrison murder, other than that it was “part of a plan to prevent Garrison from cooperating with the federal government and to subject the plan to staged clashes.”

Harris and Gardner appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Wells Roby on Monday. They were returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Office.

The various indictments identified, through a letter system, several attorneys involved in the scheme: Attorney A, B, etc. But as the U.S. Attorney noted in the press release accompanying the indictments against Harris and Gardner, “the plan involved both individuals and attorneys and others associated with it.” the lawyers who pursued fraudulent claims and fraudulent lawsuits even though they knew they were based on staged encounters.”

However, no lawyers were charged except for Danny Keating. He pleaded guilty nearly four years ago and his sentencing has been delayed several times. The current sentencing date is July 18.

According to court documents, Harris and Gardner’s trial date is July 15.

The indictment makes it clear that prosecutors have other people in mind. In discussing the conspiracy, it was said that Harris and Gardner conspired with “other persons known and unknown to the grand jury,” although the indictment is unclear whether the conspirators in the staged collisions were also involved in a plan to kill Garrison, to stop him from cooperating.

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