A New Orleans businessman who has been charged in a wide-ranging probe into staged wrecks has entered a plea on his latest charge of conspiracy to commit murder.
Sean Alfortish is facing one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, three counts of obstruction of justice, and four counts of witness tampering. He was also indicted alongside Leon Parker for conspiracy to kill federal witness Cornelius Garrison.
Alfortish was in court Wednesday where he pleaded not guilty to the conspiracy to commit murder charge. He had previously pleaded not guilty to his original charges as well.
If convicted, he could face a sentence of life in prison.
His next court date is scheduled for Aug. 11. His trial date was set for Sept. 8.
WDSU spoke with Alfortish’s attorney Shaun Clarke after court who said he couldn’t comment on the case.
“I can’t make any comment, the court has made it clear we should not be making public comments so I appreciate the chance but I’m going to pass,” Clarke said.
An FBI agent testified last year that Parker played a part in the killing of Garrison after Alfortish tried to pay Garrison to go to the Bahamas instead of cooperating with the investigation.
Alfortish is engaged to Vanessa Motta, who is also indicted in the scheme along with her law firm.
The FBI agent testified that Motta and Alfortish offered Garrison money to leave and also arranged for him to get an attorney.
The agent said a burner phone was used in the killing of Garrison and was bought by Ryan J. Harris, who has been indicted in connection with the scheme and homicide.
A second burner phone was also used during the crime, and whoever had both was connected to the location where the killing happened, according to the FBI agent.
Parker referred to himself as Harris’ stepdad, and reportedly searched “Cornelius Garrett” on Google days before the killing. The FBI agent testified that they believed Parker was searching for details on Garrison.
Less than a week before the homicide, the FBI agent said Parker and Harris sent photos of a 9 mm gun to each other. The same type of gun was used in the killing of Garrison, according to the FBI agent.
One day before the killing, the agent said Parker withdrew more than $47,000 from his bank account and met with Harris.
The agent said the first burner phone was purchased in New Orleans East shortly after, and Harris’ then-girlfriend, Jovanna Gardner, got the other burner phone from Harris.
Gardner used the burner phone to contact Garrison. The agent said whoever had the second burner phone was “running the show” and contacting Gardner.
The agent said Harris and Parker met the day of the homicide and had a 71-minute call at 7:55 p.m. Garrison was killed at 8:30 p.m., according to the FBI.
The agent testified that investigators believe the call was meant to be “an alibi call.”
Parker is then accused of going to Kenner after the homicide happened. The FBI agent said Alfortish lived in Kenner at the time, and Parker even searched Alfortish on Google days after the homicide.
Motta and Jason Giles have pleaded not guilty to all their charges as well.
More from the indictment:
According to the indictment, Harris, also known as “Red,” conspired with Vanessa Motta, Alfortish, Jason Giles and four others named Leon M. Parker, also known as “Chunky,” Diaminike F. Stalbert, Carl G. Morgan and Timara N. Lawrence to defraud insurance companies and commercial vehicle companies through false wreck claims.
The indictment claims Motta, Giles and their firms knowingly pursued lawsuits for staged collisions.
Giles and Alfortish, who is a disbarred attorney, worked with Motta by paying what the indictment calls “slammers,” or people who staged the crashes.
Stalbert, Parker and Morgan are described as “slammers.” Lawrence was in a relationship with Harris, and Morgan was a family member of Harris, according to the indictment.
Parker was involved in at least three staged collisions, and Stalbert was involved in at least two. Morgan was involved in one staged wreck.
The indictment claims Lawrence would provide stolen personal information to Harris as part of the scheme.
Beginning in 2011, Damian Labeaud and Roderick Hickman began staging crashes for Giles, according to the indictment.
Labeaud and Hickman are accused of working as slammers and spotters, helping find tractor trailers to target for wrecks. They would also refer people involved in the wrecks to Giles’ law firm, the King Firm.
The indictment accuses Giles of paying both $1,000 per passenger in the collisions. To conceal their payments, the checks were often made out as loans or advances on future settlements.
In 2017, another slammer introduced Garrison to the scheme by training him to stage crashes, according to the indictment.
Garrison was then introduced to Alfortish, who is described as playing “an active role” in staging crashes for Motta’s law firm.
The indictment claims Garrison would direct passengers to Alfortish and Motta’s law firm.
Harris eventually began working with Garrison to stage collisions. At some point, the two stopped working together, and Harris began staging crashes for other people.
Garrison began covertly working with the federal government in 2019 regarding the wrecks.
Motta and Alfortish are accused of offering Garrison money to move out of the United States if he would stop cooperating with the federal government.
Garrison received a subpoena for a deposition in the case.
The indictment claims Harris, Alfortish, Motta and her firm conspired to stop Harris from participating in the deposition.
Harris is accused of killing Garrison before he was able to testify in the probe.
Alfortish is facing one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, three counts of obstruction of justice, and four counts of witness tampering.
Motta is facing one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, three counts of obstruction of justice, and four counts of witness tampering. Her firm is also facing the same charges.
Giles faces one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, five counts of obstruction of justice and six counts of witness tampering. His firm also faces the same counts.
WDSU has reached out to the attorneys representing Giles, Motta and Alfortish. All are aware of the indictment against their clients.
Motta’s attorney, Sean Toomey, a partner at New Orleans-based law firm Liskow & Lewis, issued the following statement regarding the allegations:
“Vanessa Motta is completely innocent of any wrongdoing. The government’s theory — that a lawyer barely a year out of law school decided to participate in a sprawling conspiracy — is terribly mistaken. If these accidents were in fact staged, my client was also a victim and taken advantage by others. Over the last five years Vanessa has been unjustly vilified in the press and so while we strongly believe this indictment is misguided, we are looking forward to the trial of this case where Vanessa will finally be vindicated.”
At the time of this publication, responses had not yet been received from Giles and Alfortish’s attorneys.
About the scheme:
Motta represented two clients who have pleaded guilty to federal crimes, admitting to staging wrecks with tractor trailers in New Orleans and then filing fraudulent insurance claims, saying they were injured when they were not and that the wreck was not their fault, when it was.
Alfortish is a disbarred lawyer who served jail time over a decade ago after pleading guilty to unrelated fraud charges.
Garrison was gunned down in Gentilly in 2020, just days after he was charged with federal crimes for being a go-between for lawyers and those driving the vehicles used in the staged wrecks.
Garrison was cooperating with the FBI and the Department of Justice on this matter.
In May, WDSU Investigates broke the story of the arrest of two people in the murder case.
Harris, who is accused of killing Garrison, was arrested with his girlfriend, Gardner.
Gardner cut a deal days after the arrest.
The case had been cold for almost four years.
In open court in May, at a hearing for Harris, the FBI said that he had documents at his home linking him to Motta’s law firm.
The feds say Garrison was shot 10 times. All 10 shell casings were found at the scene.
Pictures of his body were also shown in open court.
Garrison, along with Gardner and Harris, was involved in Operation Sideswipe.
That’s the name of the wide-ranging federal investigation into staged wrecks in New Orleans.
The FBI said in open court that the probe started in early 2019, just months after WDSU Investigates first reported on how wrecks were being staged in New Orleans and how local lawyers cried foul on how suspect insurance claims were being filed.
According to the lead FBI agent, who testified at the May detention hearing, Gardner and Harris were in a relationship and share a child together.
The FBI says the two would work with Garrison, helping to stage wrecks and then work to file false insurance claims.
The FBI agent who testified in May told the court that in fall 2019, Garrison started working with the feds as a cooperating witness.
He admitted that he was providing information on cases, including one involving Harris.
Garrison was charged in 2020 and, days later, was killed.
The FBI said Harris is on video buying a cellphone at a Family Dollar store.
They say that the cellphone was purchased one day before Garrison was killed, and it was used to send messages and make calls to him hours before he was killed.
One call was made just two minutes before Garrison’s mother called 911, reporting his shooting death.
Federal prosecutors showed a picture of Harris buying the cellphone in court.
They say the phone was used and then went dead after Garrison was killed.
Gardner was in court wearing a navy blue prison jumpsuit.
Several family members attended the court hearing, and all declined to comment afterward.
This case is set to go to trial in January but is expected to be delayed.
Almost 50 people have pleaded guilty in connection with the staged wrecks.
The federal probe was launched months after WDSU’s initial report on this matter in 2018 and led to state lawmakers enhancing laws to protect tractor trailer drivers in the state.
READ MORE:New Orleans businessman indicted on conspiracy to commit murder enters plea