The second week of a wide-ranging staged wrecks trial is underway.
Vanessa Motta and Jason Giles are set to stand trial for three weeks and are both accused of staging car crashes to fraudulently collect insurance money.
Motta, a former stuntwoman turned plaintiff’s lawyer, and Giles, a principal at the King Firm, are charged with wire fraud, mail fraud, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
Last week, opening arguments were made by the government and Motta and Giles’ lawyers.
A star witness for the government, Patrick Keating, a lawyer who had pleaded guilty in the scheme, also testified.
Court picked back up Monday, March 9, with federal public defender Claude Kelly.
Kelly testified that his former client, Cornelius Garrison, who was killed, informed him that Motta knew about the staged wrecks.
Motta’s fiance, Sean Alfortish, is accused of playing a role in Garrison’s killing.
On Tuesday, a civil defense lawyer took the stand. She represents trucking companies in many of the staged wrecks.
She testified that she reported red flags with the insurance claims filed by Motta as possible fraud.
Testimony continues Tuesday afternoon. Follow along for updates.
About the scheme:
The scheme has drawn significant attention from the legal community due to the state’s high auto insurance rates.
The federal investigation was launched months after WDSU Investigates broke the story in October 2018, following reports from lawyers for trucking companies about repeated involvement of the same individuals and law firms in multiple crashes, notably the Motta Firm and the King Law Firm.
The investigation led to changes in state laws to better protect truck drivers, who are required to carry $1 million in liability insurance.
More than 50 individuals have pleaded guilty to participating in the scheme after admitting to driving into tractor trailers to stage wrecks.
In 2020, U.S. Attorney Peter Strasser described the scheme as “outrageous.”
Attorney Danny Keating, who pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing, reportedly collected over $1 million by handling 77 fraudulent cases.
Keating is expected to testify at the trial, along with other lawyers who have received transactional immunity for their cooperation.
Motta and Giles have pleaded not guilty, with Motta represented by former federal prosecutor Toomey and Giles by Van Davis.
The trial, presided over by Judge Wendy Vitter, a Donald Trump appointee, is expected to last four to five weeks.
A significant aspect of the case involves the killing of a federal witness, Garrison, who was killed in 2020 after agreeing to cooperate with the investigation.
Two men, Alfortish, Motta’s fiance, and Parker, are charged in the killing, with their trial set for August.
Motta and Giles are not charged in connection with the killing, and the judge has separated those charges to be tried later.
The jury will focus solely on whether the wrecks were staged and if Motta and Giles played key roles in the scheme.
READ MORE:Attorney for murdered federal witness in staged wrecks trial testifies
