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Staged Accident Scam on Trucks: New Orleans Lawyer Gets 32 Months
Staged accident scam: a New Orleans lawyer who paid for 31 crashes into trucks got 32 months in prison. How to protect your truck from staged crashes.
Questions about how this affects your trucks? Talk to a licensed agent who ran his own authority.
What happened
A staged accident scam that targeted trucks in New Orleans just got another prison sentence. On Thursday, Louisiana attorney Danny Keating was sentenced to 32 months in federal prison, FreightWaves reported on Oct. 16.
He must also pay $657,405.34 in restitution. He will serve three years of supervised release after prison. He has to report to prison by Jan. 11, 2027.
The scheme was known as Operation Sideswipe. People packed into cars and crashed on purpose into other vehicles. Most of the time, the target was a tractor-trailer. Then they sued.
According to the U.S. Attorney's office, Keating paid ringleader Damian Lebeaud for 31 truck crashes. He represented 77 plaintiffs in those staged crashes. The payouts came to about $1.5 million. Keating kept about $358,000.
Keating pleaded guilty in June 2021. He then worked with prosecutors and testified against two other attorneys, Vanessa Motta and Jason Giles. A jury convicted them in March. The judge gave Keating more than the two years prosecutors asked for, but less than the 57 to 60 months in federal guidelines.
What it means for owner-operators
A staged crash is a crash someone plans on purpose to sue you. The truck is the target because trucks carry big insurance policies.
This case shows the scam is real, and that it can take years to prove. Until it is proven, a staged crash is a claim on your policy and a mark on your record. Claims like these can push up what carriers pay for insurance.
The good news: courts are now punishing the people behind it, including lawyers. And the best defense is in your hands.
What to do next
- Run a dashcam, front and side if you can. Video is the strongest proof of what really happened. Our guide on dashcams and truck insurance claims explains why.
- Keep your space. Watch for cars that cut in and brake hard, or that drift next to you on a lane change.
- After any crash, call the police. Ask for a report, even if it looks minor.
- Take photos and count people. Note how many people are in the other car and how they act.
- Report it to your insurance right away. Do not agree to anything at the scene.
Want to make sure your truck is covered the right way? Call TCZ Insurance Agency at 956-526-6727.
Original report
Written by TCZ Insurance Agency in our own words. Read the original for the full story.