Louisiana

2 lawyers, 2 law firms indicted in burgeoning Louisiana staged accident case

Published

1 year ago

December 10, 2024

2 lawyers, 2 law firms indicted in burgeoning Louisiana staged accident case

A sweeping indictment in the Louisiana staged accident scam charges eight individuals – two of them attorneys – as well as two Louisiana-based law firms with involvement in the scam, which authorities say included the murder of a potential witness who was gunned down in his home.

While the murder charges are the most jarring part of the statement releasedMonday by the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana about the indictments, Ryan J. “Red” Harris already had been indicted in connection with the death of Cornelius Garrison. Garrison, who had pleaded guilty to charges in the scam and was cooperating with investigators, was shot in the doorway of his home on Sept. 20, 2020.

Harris and Jovanna Gardner were indicted in May in connection with Garrison’s death. The charges in the superseding indictment related to the slaying are an extension of those initial allegations, though they do not mention Gardner, who pleaded guilty to witness tampering soon after she was indicted on the murder charge.

The rest of the indictment has long been expected, given that the on-the-ground individuals involved in staging accidents with trucks (and in one case a bus) in order to pry loose insurance payouts have pleaded guilty over the past several years and are assumed to mostly be cooperating.

Total charged in Operation Sideswipe: 63

The most recent plea came Oct. 31. It brought the count of individuals who have pleaded guilty to 49. None of the indictments has gone to trial. With the latest indictments, 63 individuals have been charged, according to the U.S. attorney, which has dubbed its investigation “Operation Sideswipe.”

There are 10 counts in the indictment. Besides the murder-related charges against Harris and Gardner, the charges include a variety of wire fraud, mail fraud, obstruction and witness tampering allegations.

All of the individuals previously indicted, including those who have pleaded guilty, were facing some combination of wire fraud and mail fraud charges.

The indictment charged two New Orleans law firms that have long been reputed to be connected with the staged accident scam: the King Law firm and the Motta Law Firm.

The Motta Law Firm is run by Vanessa Motta, 43, a stuntwoman turned lawyer whose web page for the Motta Law Firm cites truck accidents as an area of specialty. She also reportedly was Garrison’s attorney. Motta was indicted individually as well as her firm.

Jason Giles, 45, is described in the indictment as a former member of the King Law Firm. He was indicted in the case.

Other indictments of individuals:

Sean Alfortish, 57, a disbarred attorney who has served time in federal prison on charges he attempted to rig an election for a horse racing association. He portrayed himself as an attorney in helping to direct some of the collisions behind the scenes, though he had long been disbarred.

Leon Parker, aka Chunky, 51, who is described as a friend of Harris. According to the indictment, he was involved in at least three staged collisions.

Diaminike Stalbert, 34, who is charged with being involved in staged collisions and obstruction.

Carl Morgan 66, who is a member of Harris’ family and was involved in at least one staged collision, according to the indictment.

Timara Lawrence, 34, who is described as being in a romantic relationship with Harris and also involved in staged collisions.

According to the prepared statement, Harris already was in custody. Parker made an initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate Monday. The others will have initial appearances soon, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Other “lettered” attorneys not charged

One notable aspect of the indictment: It refers to attorneys, C,D, E and F as being involved in the scam. Earlier indictments had referred also to attorneys A and B, who were specifically not listed in the latest indictment, leading to speculation that they may be Motta and Giles. It also suggests that indictments of attorneys might not be finished.

The indictment puts the start of the scam back almost 13 years exactly, to Dec. 12, 2011. It also alleges Giles was behind the first staged collisions, working with Damian Labeaud, who pleaded guilty to his indictment for mail fraud in August 2020 and whose sentencing has been delayed multiple times. It is now set for Jan. 9.

Giles also worked with Roderick Hickman, who also pleaded guilty in October 2020. He was sentenced in October 2023 to three-and-a-half years in jail, the second-longest sentence after a husband and wife team who received four years for their involvement.

The two law firms, according to the indictment, “pursued fraudulent lawsuits knowing they were based on staged collisions.” Giles joined the King Law Firm in 2015, according to the indictment, and continued working with Hickman and Labeaud in staging accidents even after the move. The indictment also said the King Law Firm was aware of Giles’ activities.

“Giles and the King firm paid Labeaud and Hickman via cash and checks for bringing them staged collisions,” the indictment said. The two men also allegedly had been “spotters” and “slammers” in the collisions.

The slammers drove the car into the collision, then escaped while another person in the car moved into the driver seat, authorities said. Spotters, according to the U.S. attorney’s office, were individuals “who drove getaway cars that allowed the slammers to flee the scene after causing a collision and evade detection by law enforcement. The spotters would sometimes also pretend to be eyewitnesses and would flag down the commercial vehicles after the staged collisions, alleging that the commercial vehicles were at fault.”

The indictment said Labeaud and Hickman were also “runners,” who brought in people willing to be passengers in the car that struck a vehicle. They received $1,000 for each person recruited into the scam, according to the indictment.

The indictment says Labeaud first met with attorney Danny Keating in 2017 and told him of the scam. Keating then offered $1,000 per passenger for the same service, and he began orchestrating staged collisions, the indictment said.

Another delay for Keating sentencing

Keating pleaded guilty in June 2021, the only attorney indicted prior to this week’s set of charges. His sentencing has been delayed multiple times. It was scheduled for later this month; it’s now set for March 13, the change having just been made Monday.

Eleven separate collisions are identified in the indictment as having been staged by Keating or Giles as the attorneys and Lebeaud and Hickman for their spotter/slammer/runner activities. None of the collisions spelled out in the indictment identify the name of the carrier, but other legal proceedings have done so; C.R. England is the most notable name.

As defense attorneys were beginning to catch on to a pattern, according to the indictment, “Giles and the King Firm committed various acts of obstruction of justice and witness tampering.” The indictment spells out a variety of steps taken as part of that obstruction, including having Labeaud leave town and getting the passengers in the collision to sign documents called Verification of Facts, which were not actually factual: They did not note that the collisions were staged.

Alfortish and Motta, according to the indictment, then began staging collisions working with Harris, who had been trained on how to pull them off by Garrison. That discussion in the indictment also spells out collisions staged by Alfortish, who though disbarred in connection with his earlier conviction had persuaded others he was still an active attorney, and Motta. The number of incidents attributed to their activities is the same as for the Giles/Keating collisions: 11.

According to the indictment, Alfortish and Motta also engaged in obstruction when they learned federal investigators were looking closely at the rash of collisions between cars and trucks.

All of the charges in the indictment related to Garrison’s slaying deal with Harris. There is nothing in the indictment that suggests any of the attorneys in the case ordered Garrison’s killing or worked with Harris to have it carried out.

Louisiana attorney J. Edward McAuliffe of the Louisiana law firm of Mouledoux, Bland, Legrand & Brackett, who has written several blog posts on his firm’s website about the investigation, summarized the case Tuesday, which he described as “huge.”

“This new indictment sheds more light on federal prosecutors’ progress in investigating accident stagings,” McAuliffe wrote. “The naming of additional attorneys and further allegations related to the murder of Cornelius Garrison have been hotly anticipated for some time.”

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Related Topics:Cornelius Garrison Eastern District of Louisiana Featured indictment King Law firm staged superseding indictment Vanessa Motta

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Louisiana

Louisiana’s public universities could break with longstanding accreditor. Here’s why.

Published

5 hours ago

April 14, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana’s public universities could break with longstanding accreditor. Here’s why.

As higher education bureaucracy comes under scrutiny nationally, Louisiana’s public universities might soon be allowed to seek alternatives to the accreditor that has evaluated institutions in the state for over a century.

The potential change comes as some conservative leaders like President Donald Trump and Gov. Jeff Landry criticize excess spending in higher education and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Some administrators say, however, that the problems with accreditation lie less with DEI and more with the inefficiency of a geography-based system.

Senate Bill 304 would permit public universities to break with their longstanding accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACS. The bill follows the recommendations of a task force Landry created last year to review accreditation in the state and consider membership in the newly founded Commission for Public Higher Education.

At the time he created the task force, Landry said CPHE could be “an alternative to the out-of-touch accreditation system” and that “this task force will ensure Louisiana’s public universities move away from DEI-driven mandates and toward a system rooted in merit-based achievement.”

That alarmed some faculty and higher education advocates, who feared it would impose a political agenda on the accreditation process.

Now, as the Legislature considers SB304, supporters are talking less about political motives. Instead, they say the current system of regional accreditors is obsolete — and that accreditors need to focus more on how universities can operate efficiently.

Cameron Howell, senior adviser at the newly founded commission, urged the public to review its educational standards, which he says are in line with common higher education practices.

“I think what you’ll see is a small-C conservative approach to achieve efficiencies, to lower costs and to make for a process that is less burdensome,” he said.

“That, I don’t think, is about politics,” he added.

And some state and federal leaders say it might no longer make sense to have regional accreditors. Instead, they argue the organizations should be focused on the type of institution — in this case, public universities.

“We moved from geography, everybody being SACS, to having a broader ability if they are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed.

Why does accreditation matter?

Accreditation is the process of evaluating schools to ensure they meet acceptable education standards. Universities that are not accredited by an approved organization cannot receive federal financial aid dollars.

The Southern Association of Colleges accredits 41 institutions in Louisiana and hundreds more throughout the South, according to February 2026 organizational data. LSU has held continuous accreditation from the organization since 1913.

The association did not respond to a request for comment.

Though the bill under consideration in the Legislature does not mention the Commission for Public Higher Education specifically, it comes up frequently when the bill is discussed. Landry’s task force also recommended Louisiana join and gain a board seat on the organization.

The commission was launched in 2025 by institutions in six southern states: the State University System of Florida, the University System of Georgia, the University of North Carolina System, the University of South Carolina System, the Texas A&M University System and the University of Tennessee System.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis heralded the commission when it was unveiled in June last year as “an alternative that will break the ideological stronghold” and end “the activist-controlled accreditation monopoly.”

The organization itself does not claim a political ideology. Howell said its standards adhere to conventional norms in the higher education sector.

He said the commission’s goal is to save universities money in the accreditation process and maximize efficiency, which he argued the commission can achieve by specializing in working with public institutions.

“Having a regional approach to something made sense operationally and economically,” Howell said. “We work in a world now where travel and communication are easier to bridge over long distances and where we can go about devising accreditation on the basis of public mission.”

Higher education standards

President Donald Trump made overhauling higher education bureaucracy a focus of his education department, issuing an executive order in April 2025 that urged increased competition in the accreditation sphere, prioritization of intellectual diversity among faculty and lower costs for students.

Louisiana’s accreditation reform will align with both Trump and Landry’s interests, Reed said.

SB304 “was a result of the governor’s executive order saying we want to support the Trump administration’s interest in broadening competition around accreditors,” Reed said.

Though sometimes juxtaposed politically, SACS and CPHE do not contain references to politics in their accreditation standards (in CPHE’s case, draft accreditation standards, as the commission is not yet formally recognized by the U.S. Department of Education).

They share criteria on institutional integrity, sound finances and a commitment to “continuous improvement.” Both include references to academic freedom, though CPHE goes a step further to include a standard for “intellectual diversity.”

The proposed law mandates that universities must be accredited through an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, so Louisiana’s institutions would need to maintain their SACS accreditation for the time being even if it passes.

CPHE plans to finalize its application by summer 2027, Howell said, with the timeline for approval then set by the U.S. Department of Education.

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Louisiana

Louisiana State Police investigating deadly hit-and-run involving bicyclist

Published

17 hours ago

April 14, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana State Police investigating deadly hit-and-run involving bicyclist

THE DRAFT STARTS AT 6:00. ALL RIGHT. ALSO WARM. TURNING TO WEATHER NOW A LIVE LOOK OUTSIDE ON YOUR MONDAY. WARM AND BREEZY. A COUPLE OF CLOUDS OUT THERE, BUT OVERALL A BEAUTIFUL START TO THE WORKWEEK. YEAH AND NO RAIN. LET’S GET STRAIGHT TO WDSU FIRST WARNING WEATHER METEOROLOGIST JIM SIREN. IT’S GOING TO BE PRETTY NICE ALL WEEK. YES IT IS. WE MAY SEE A COUPLE OF SPOTTY SHOWERS AS WE LOOK A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD, BUT MAYBE I’M OVERPLAYING THAT CHANCE FOR RAIN JUST BECAUSE WE NEED THE RAIN. HOWEVER, AS WE LOOK FARTHER DOWN THE ROAD, NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE A COLD FRONT, BUT WE HAVE A REAL GOOD CHANCE FOR RAIN, I THINK. BUT THAT’S IN THE EXTENDED EXTENDED FORECAST RIGHT NOW. SHORT TERM THINGS ARE LOOKING GOOD. PONTCHARTRAIN CONSERVANCY CAMERA SHOWING US MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES AND WITH THE SUNSHINE, WE’VE MADE IT TO THE MID 80S IN A COUPLE OF SPOTS. 85 BOGALUSA WE’RE AT 83 IN BATON ROUGE, 81 THE CURRENT TEMPERATURE IN SLIDELL. I ACTUALLY OVERHEARD A COWORKER SAY, IT’S KIND OF HOT TODAY AND I GUESS 85 DEGREES IF YOU’RE WORKING IN THE YARD. YEAH, THAT’S KIND OF HOT WINDS RIGHT NOW AT ABOUT TEN, 12, 15MPH. SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS BECOMING A BIT MORE SOUTHERLY BY MIDWEEK. THAT WILL BRING US A LITTLE MORE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. THE DEW POINT TEMPERATURE IS GOING TO COME UP. WE’VE EVEN SEEN SOME WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 20MPH HERE OVER THE LAST HALF HOUR OR SO. SO A BREEZY DAY TODAY, A BREEZY DAY TOMORROW. OFFICIALLY RIGHT NOW AT LOUIS ARMSTRONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. WINDS BECOMING SOUTHERLY AT ABOUT 13 WITH A DEW POINT OF 61. THAT DEW POINT LIKELY COMING UP JUST A LITTLE BIT BY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. IN THE SHORT TERM THOUGH, LET’S ENJOY THE NICE BREEZY WEATHER CLOUDS INCREASING TO THE WEST OF US, BUT IT’S REALLY HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE THAT’S GOING TO BRING US THE SOUTH TO SOUTHEASTERLY WIND TODAY, BECOMING MORE SOUTHERLY BY WEDNESDAY. THAT’S WHEN WE COULD SEE A FEW SPOTTY SHOWERS. BUT THE REAL THING THAT’S GOING TO CHANGE OUR WEATHER A LITTLE BIT IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE A COLD FRONT THAT’S GOING TO BE HERE THIS WEEKEND. WILL IT HOLD TOGETHER AS OF RIGHT NOW? I THINK SO. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS US THIS. A LOT OF DRY AIR THAT’S GOING TO BE MOVING IN. SO TOMORROW I THINK IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER DAY WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE. ANY CLOUD COVER, JUST LOW LEVEL CUMULUS CLOUDS THAT REALLY WON’T BUILD INTO ANYTHING. LET’S GO HOUR BY HOUR. AND FIRST OF ALL, SHOW YOU THE EVENING WALK AROUND THE BLOCK AFTER DINNER. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. TEMPERATURES ARE GOING TO BE IN THE LOW 70S ON THE NORTH SHORE. ACTUALLY LOW 70S, JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE. CLOUD COVER, VERY LIMITED. STILL A LITTLE BIT BREEZY TOMORROW MORNING, BUT RATHER THAN THE 50S, WE WOKE UP IN THE 50S OVER THE WEEKEND. NOW WE’RE GOING TO BE IN THE LOW 60S ON THE NORTH SHORE, MID TO UPPER 60S IN THE METRO. A TOUCH MUGGY, BUT THAT BREEZE STILL AT ABOUT 5 TO 10MPH. TOMORROW, ANOTHER MOSTLY SUNNY DAY WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE IN THE LOW TO MID 80S. BOGALUSA. LOOKS LIKE YOU’LL GET TO THE MID 80S AGAIN TOMORROW. NOW HERE COMES THE CHANGE ON WEDNESDAY. AND GRANTED, IT’S NOT A MAJOR CHANGE, BUT HERE’S A SOUTHERLY WIND. SO THIS MODEL IS ACTUALLY PICKING UP ON 1 OR 2 SHOWERS IN THE MORNING. I THINK THIS MODEL MAY BE A LITTLE AGGRESSIVE, BUT IN THE AFTERNOON A FEW MORE SHOWERS. WE’RE PUTTING A 20% CHANCE FOR SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST ON WEDNESDAY AS WELL AS THURSDAY. IF YOU SEE A SHOWER, COUNT YOURSELF AS ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES AND YOU’LL NOTICE THAT THOSE SHOWERS SHOULD BE VERY, VERY LIGHT AT BEST. SLIGHTLY BETTER CHANCE FOR RAIN THIS WEEKEND. LET’S TRACK THIS COLD FRONT. SATURDAY, 7 A.M. GETTING CLOSER TO US BY 7 P.M. CLOUDS STARTING TO INCREASE JUST A LITTLE BIT. IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE THIS FRONT IS GOING TO BRING US A LOT OF RAIN IN 24 HOURS AGO, I THOUGHT THE FRONT WAS GOING TO WASH OUT BEFORE IT GOT HERE. NOW IT LOOKS LIKE THE FRONT IS ACTUALLY GOING TO MAKE IT. WE’LL PUT ABOUT A 20 TO 30% CHANCE FOR SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST ON SUNDAY. THIS MODEL REALLY DOESN’T HAVE MUCH SIGNIFICANT RAIN AT ALL, BUT THE FRONT SHOULD MAKE IT THROUGH. SO BY THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK, THINGS GETTING A LITTLE BIT COOLER, A LITTLE BIT DRIER FOR US, A LITTLE LESS HUMID AS WELL. SO YOUR FORECAST FOR THIS EVENING CALLING FOR MAINLY CLEAR SKIES, A LITTLE BIT MUGGY, TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW 60S ON THE NORTH SHORE MID TO UPPER 60S ELSEWHERE. TOMORROW WE’LL DO IT AGAIN A LOT LIKE TODAY. MOSTLY SUNNY, BREEZY AND WARM, 83 TO 86 FOR THE AFTERNOON HIGH. THERE’S THAT 20% CHANCE FOR SHOWERS ONCE WE GET TO WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. VERY SPOTTY SHOWERS AT BEST. COLD FRONT SHOULD BE MOVING THROUGH SUNDAY, MAYBE LATE MORNING EARLY AFTERNOON. SO BY LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON WE’LL NOTICE THE HUMIDITY DROPPING JUST A LITTLE BIT. I THINK THINGS ARE LOOKING GREAT FOR FRENCH QUARTER FEST. JUST BE PREPARED, YOU KNOW, TO GET THOSE $2 DISPOSABLE RAIN PONCHOS PUT IN YOUR BACK POCKET. IF YOU SEE ONE OF THE SHOWERS ON SUNDAY, IT’S NOT GOING TO LAST ALL THAT LONG. AND THEN WE’RE COOLER AND DRIER AND VERY PLEASANT ON MONDAY. A MUCH BETTER CHANCE FOR RAIN IN OUR EXTENDED EXTENDED FORECAST,

Louisiana State Police investigating deadly hit-and-run involving bicyclist

Updated: 9:31 PM CDT Apr 13, 2026

Editorial Standards ⓘ

A Folsom man was killed in a hit-and-run in St. Tammany over the weekend.Louisiana State Police say Rodrigo Ornelas Jr., 24, of Folsom, was riding his bike on Sunday morning around 12:30 a.m. on LA Highway 40 at Blackwell Cemetery Road. At the same time, an unknown dark-colored sedan or small SUV was traveling east on LA Highway 40, struck Ornelas Jr., and left the scene.Police say the area was poorly lit and that he was not wearing a helmet but was dressed in light-colored clothing. Ornelas sustained serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment, where he later died. According to troopers, they have determined that the bicycle was equipped with reflectors but was not equipped with lights. The crash remains under investigation.

FOLSOM, La. —

A Folsom man was killed in a hit-and-run in St. Tammany over the weekend.

Louisiana State Police say Rodrigo Ornelas Jr., 24, of Folsom, was riding his bike on Sunday morning around 12:30 a.m. on LA Highway 40 at Blackwell Cemetery Road.

At the same time, an unknown dark-colored sedan or small SUV was traveling east on LA Highway 40, struck Ornelas Jr., and left the scene.

Police say the area was poorly lit and that he was not wearing a helmet but was dressed in light-colored clothing.

Ornelas sustained serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment, where he later died.

According to troopers, they have determined that the bicycle was equipped with reflectors but was not equipped with lights.

The crash remains under investigation.

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Louisiana

Raceland man charged in fatal March wreck, Louisiana State Police report

Published

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

Press Room

Raceland man charged in fatal March wreck, Louisiana State Police report

A Raceland man has been charged with vehicular homicide for a March crash that left a Chauvin man dead.

Aljean Ledet, 58, of Chauvin died, March 25, after Michael Boudreaux, 21, of Raceland, rear-ended him at the intersection of LA 56 and Josie Court, according to a news release by the Louisiana State Police. Ledet was not wearing a seatbelt.

Police gathered toxicology samples from the two men at the time of the incident and later found that Boudreaux’s blood alcohol content was over the legal limit at the time of the crash. Boudreaux has been charged with vehicular homicide, DWI (first offense), reckless operation, no seatbelt and driving under suspension.

Boudreaux turned himself in to Troopers, April 9, 2026, and was booked into the Terrebonne Parish jail.

On March 25, Ledet was traveling north on LA 56 in a 2008 Chevrolet Colorado. At the same time Boudreaux was in a 2006 Pontiac G6 also traveling north, the release said. Boudreaux failed to slow down and struck the rear of Ledet’s Chevrolet.

After the impact, Ledet’s vehicle was sent off the road on the right and overturned. He was unrestrained and sustained fatal injuries.

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