Vanessa Motta New Orleans stuntwoman turned lawyer indicted in staged car crashes fraudulent payout scheme as attorney is suspended and faces felony charges including wire fraud and witness tampering.
An action movie inside an action movie… A New Orleans stuntwoman-turned-lawyer has been indicted in connection to an alleged scheme involving fraudulent lawsuits sparked by staged car crashes, that she staged with a motley of ‘supporting crew.’
Vanessa Motta, 43, faces federal charges after she allegedly took part in the plot by representing plaintiffs in the bogus crashes along with her disbarred attorney fiancee, Sean Alfortish.
Motta and Alfortish along with several others are alleged to have taken part in the ‘complex conspiracy’ in which individuals orchestrated car accidents, including intentionally colliding with 18-wheelers, around the New Orleans area, prosecutors alleged, according to WWLTV.
Conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud
The drivers, known as the slammers would cause the crash and then flee the scene with the help of another getaway driver, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The slammer’s passenger would then claim to be operating the vehicle leading up to the car wreck, the feds said.
But there’s more.
The scheme also involved individuals acting as witnesses claiming the other vehicle was at fault, prosecutors stated.
Motta allegedly got involved by filing fraudulent claims and fraudulent lawsuits following the crashes – which she pleaded not guilty to on Monday, according to Nola.com.
After she and others became aware of an investigation into the scheme, the defendants allegedly committed various acts of obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
In one instance, an alleged slammer, Ryan Harris, is accused of killing a former co-conspirator, Cornelius Garrison, to help cover up the crimes, according to authorities.
Motta was charged in early December with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
Former Hollywood career
Motta, along with fellow attorney Jason Giles, had their law licenses suspended in late December following the charges, Nola.com reported.
Motta according to her IMDb profile (talk about being ‘jack of all trades’) used to be a stuntwoman for various films including Jurassic World, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Logan and Furious 7.
While promoting her legal business, Motta is alleged to have talked up her former Hollywood career, with the attorney showcasing a commercial showing her involved in ‘numerous’ stunts.
‘Stuntwoman turned bad a– attorney,’ a voiceover states on the 30-second ad. ‘When you need legal action, send ‘er in.’
Motta’s lawyer, Sean Toomey, has previously said his client isn’t guilty of the charges.
‘If these accidents were in fact staged, my client was also a victim and taken advantage by others,’ the attorney said, according to Nola.com.
