A federal jury found Vanessa Motta, Jason F. Giles, their law firms, and Diamanike F. Stalbert guilty on all charges related to a staged automobile collision scheme, according to a March 20 announcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice.
The case is significant because it exposes a long-running conspiracy that targeted insurance companies and commercial trucking firms through fraudulent litigation, potentially affecting auto insurance policyholders across Louisiana.
Court documents show that from December 2011 to December 2024, Motta, Giles, their respective law firms (Motta Law LLC and The King Firm LLC), and others orchestrated staged car accidents with the help of paid participants known as “slammers,” spotters who drove getaway cars, and recruiters like Stalbert. The attorneys then represented these recruited passengers in lawsuits against insurers, often encouraging unnecessary medical procedures to inflate settlement amounts.
The jury convicted Motta, Motta Law LLC, Giles, and The King Firm LLC on all counts including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, mail fraud, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering. Stalbert was found guilty of making false statements to federal agents but acquitted on conspiracy charges. According to prosecutors, Motta and her firm attempted to pay a witness to move abroad to avoid cooperating with authorities; Giles and his firm were found guilty for secretly recording an individual in an attempt to create exculpatory evidence.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson said: “Today’s verdict was the culmination of a lengthy investigation that amassed overwhelming evidence proving the defendants’ roles in a years-long scheme to defraud, as well as their subsequent efforts to obstruct justice and tamper with witnesses. MOTTA, MOTTA LAW, GILES, and THE KING FIRM successfully launched a fraudulent scheme of epic proportions that both victimized the judicial system, and exploited the auto insurance industry, all to enrich themselves with millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains.” Simpson added: “This prosecution... makes clear that no one is above the law.”
Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office said: "The defendants in this case pursued personal fortune through lies and deception... The FBI along with our partners at the U.S. Attorney's Office... have worked for the last seven years to uncover every instance of fraud... We will continue that pursuit as long as it takes."
Sentencing is scheduled for July 2026 before Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter. Each count carries potential penalties ranging from five up to twenty years imprisonment per charge plus fines up to $250,000 or twice any financial gain or loss involved.
To date sixty-three individuals have been charged in connection with this federal probe into staged collisions in New Orleans.
