Staged car crashes for profit: Feds accuse stuntwoman attorney.

An attorney who was once a stuntwoman is facing federal charges for allegedly staging car crashes and filing fraudulent insurance claims and lawsuits in New Orleans, according to federal authorities.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana stated that Vanessa Motta, 43, her disbarred lawyer fiancé, Sean Alfortish, and several "slammers" – professional drivers who intentionally collided with 18-wheelers and fled the scene – are among the eight individuals involved in the conspiracy.

The feds wrote that the "slammer" would have an accomplice as a getaway driver to escape the scene of the car wreck. The passenger of the "slammer" would later claim to have been driving the vehicle leading up to the accident. Other conspirators would act as witnesses and assert that the 18-wheelers were responsible for the crashes, according to the release.

On Monday, Nola.com reported that Motta, who is accused of filing fraudulent claims and suits following the crashes, tearfully entered a not guilty plea in court.

Her lawyer, Sean Toomey, informed Nola.com that if the accidents were staged, her client was also a victim and was taken advantage of by others.

In 2017, Motta opened her own law practice, Motta Law, LLC, as stated on her office's website.

In December, Alfortish, attorney Jason Giles, and others who allegedly represented plaintiffs in fraudulent New Orleans-area crashes had their law licenses suspended and were charged with conspiracy, obstructing justice, and witness tampering.

The indictment against the lawyers implicated several other defendants, including Leon "Chunky" Parker, Diaminke Stalbert, Carl Morgan, Timara Lawrence, and Ryan "Red" Harris, in the alleged involvement or assistance in the crashes.

According to Nola.com, prosecutors claimed that Harris, one of the "slammers," shot his former accomplice Garrison to silence him about their criminal scheme, even though Garrison had been cooperating with federal authorities before his death in September 2020.

Jovanna Gardner, accused of Garrison's murder and in a romantic relationship with Harris, claimed in court that her partner confessed to the crime and threatened to kill her if she disclosed it, according to the outlet's report.

The murder of Garrison was a significant obstacle in the federal investigation "Operation Sideswipe," which resulted in charges against 50 individuals, as reported by Nola.com. Out of these 50 individuals, only one attorney, Danny Keating Jr., has been convicted and is still awaiting sentencing.

Currently, only Parker and Alfortish, 57, are in custody. Alfortish was accused of being involved in a scheme to silence Garrison for several months, which ultimately led to his murder. The details of the scheme, including offers to pay him off or relocate him to the Bahamas, were revealed by prosecutors.

On Monday, Motta was released on a $25,000 bond pending trial, while Giles was released on a $100,000 secured bond. Giles could not immediately be reached for comment.

According to her IMDb profile, the former stuntwoman who faced controversy worked on several successful films, including Jurassic World, Logan, Furious 7, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Motta's commercials portrayed her as a "stuntwoman turned badass attorney" and depicted her performing various stunts.