A former businesswoman turned attorney faces federal charges after an alleged scheme to stage car accidents and file fraudulent insurance claims and lawsuits. In New Orleansaccording to federal authorities.
Vanessa Mota, 43, her estranged attorney fiancé, Sean Alfertich, and several “professional drivers” — professional drivers who intentionally crash 18-wheelers and flee the scene — were among the eight involved in the crash. The plotAccording to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Another getaway driver would help the “attacker” flee the scene, the feds wrote. Next, the car's passenger will claim that he or she was driving the car which led to the car wreck. According to the statement, other conspirators will serve as witnesses and claim that the drivers of the 18-wheelers were at fault in the accidents.
Mota, who allegedly filed fraudulent claims and lawsuits after the incidents, dipped her eyes in court and pleaded not guilty on Monday. NOLA reported.
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Vanessa Mota, 43, faces federal charges for allegedly submitting fraudulent insurance claims after staged car accidents. (Mutalao LLC/Instagram)
“If these incidents were indeed staged, then my client was also a victim and was exploited by others,” her attorney, Sean Toomey, told Nola.com.
Motta opened her own law firm, Motta Law, LLC, in 2017, according to her office's website.
She, Alvertich, and attorney Jason Giles, who is also allegedly representing plaintiffs in the bogus case New Orleans area In the two crashes, their law licenses were suspended in December and they were charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
The indictment against the attorneys also names a large number of other defendants who allegedly participated in or assisted in setting up the crashes: Leon “Chunky” Parker, Daminke Stalbert, Carl Morgan, Timara Lawrence, and Ryan “Red” Harris.
Prosecutors said Harris, one of the alleged “attackers,” shot and killed his former partner in crime, Cornelius Garrison, to keep him quiet about the scheme, according to Nola.com. The agency stated that Garrison was cooperating with federal authorities in their investigations before his killing in September 2020.
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Mota played femme fatales in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Jurassic World and a number of other films before becoming canon, according to her IMDb profile. (Mutalao LLC/Instagram)
Jovanna Gardner, who was charged in connection with Garrison's death and said she had a romantic relationship with Harris, said in court that her then-partner admitted to killing Garrison and threatened to kill her if she told anyone, the outlet reported.
Garrison's killing was a major stumbling block in a federal investigation called “Operation Sideswipe,” which has seen charges brought against 50 people, according to Nola.com. Only one attorney, Danny Keating Jr., has been convicted and is still awaiting sentencing.
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Cars were photographed trying to enter New Orleans on Interstate 10. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Only Parker and Alvorch, 57, are currently behind bars. Prosecutors said Alvertich was “engaged in a months-long scheme to silence Garrison” before his murder with offers to pay him or take him to the Bahamas, according to the outlet.
Mota was released awaiting trial on $25,000 secured bond Monday, while Giles was released on $100,000 secured bond, according to court records. Mota could not immediately be reached for comment.
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The former beleaguered stuntwoman has worked in Jurassic World, Logan, Furious 7, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and other films, according to her IMDb profile.
Television advertisements for Motta described her as a “stunt woman turned bad lawyer” and showed her participating in various stunts.
