December 10th 2024.
It's like something out of a movie - or maybe a video game. Two law firms in New Orleans have been accused of orchestrating fake car wrecks and injuries in order to make some easy money. The charges came on December 9th, when a federal lawsuit was filed against the firms for their illegal activities.
According to reports from The Guardian, one of the firms, Motta Law, had a former television stuntwoman turned lawyer, Vanessa Motta, as one of its attorneys. She, along with at least 52 other people, were indicted for their involvement in the scam. Shockingly, one of Motta's own clients was working with authorities and was tragically killed with the help of two other clients in 2020. This event delayed the investigation into Motta, but eventually led to her indictment.
Even more shockingly, Motta's fiancé, Sean Alfortish, was also indicted for his role as the financier for the "slammers" - the individuals who intentionally crashed into 18-wheelers as part of the scheme. The charges against the two firms and their associates include conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and even murder. Yes, you read that right. The indictment alleges that one of the witnesses was killed as part of the cover-up.
Legal analyst Joe Raspanti, from Fox 8, commented on the scandal, stating that this was the moment the legal community had been waiting for. "Everyone's talking about it," he said. "In previous indictments, it was believed that the people responsible for the fake accidents were connected to lawyers. We've been waiting for something like this to happen."
The indictment reveals that the scam had been going on since 2011 and continued until 2024. The "slammers" would use "spotters" to find 18-wheelers to target and then intentionally crash into them. After the accidents, they would claim to be injured and sue the truckers' insurance companies for a hefty settlement, with the help of Motta Law and another firm, The King Firm.
One of the most shocking revelations in the indictment was that Alfortish, who had been disbarred, was still actively involved in the scam. He worked with Motta at Motta Law and paid the "slammers" for their staged collisions. Another individual named in the indictment was Ryan Harris, who owned a car repair shop in New Orleans. He was one of the "slammers" who would purposely crash into commercial vehicles for the law firms.
What makes this case even more disturbing is the allegation that one of the "slammers," Harris, was also involved in the murder of Cornelius Garrison, who was cooperating with authorities in their investigation of Motta and others involved in the scam. Raspanti noted that one of the charges in the indictment was for obstructing justice by killing a witness.
One of Motta's attorneys spoke out about the charges, claiming that if the allegations of staged accidents were true, then Motta herself was also a victim. "If these accidents were indeed staged, then my client was also taken advantage of by others," they said. "Vanessa has been unfairly portrayed in the media for the past five years, and we believe that this indictment is misguided. We are confident that she will be cleared of all charges in the trial."
Sadly, this is not the first time something like this has happened. In a similar case, four individuals were recently arrested for staging fake bear attacks and defrauding insurance companies of over $140,000. It's a sad reality that some people will go to such lengths for money, but hopefully, justice will be served in this case and those responsible will be held accountable for their actions.
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