Vanessa Motta, a former stuntwoman-turned-personal injury attorney, is facing federal charges for allegedly orchestrating a scheme to stage 18-wheeler crashes in New Orleans to file fraudulent insurance claims.
Alongside her disbarred lawyer fiancé Sean Alfortish and a network of “slammers” who intentionally caused collisions, Motta allegedly led a conspiracy involving false witnesses, fabricated claims, and legal manipulation.
Prosecutors accuse the group of using a secondary driver to help crash initiators escape while passengers posed as drivers to falsely implicate truck operators.
The scheme unraveled as a key conspirator, Cornelius Garrison, cooperated with authorities but was later murdered, allegedly by fellow participant Ryan “Red” Harris, in an effort to silence him.
The investigation, dubbed “Operation Sideswipe,” has implicated 50 individuals, with only one attorney convicted so far.
Motta, who opened Motta Law, LLC in 2017 and gained notoriety for TV ads portraying her as a bold legal advocate, pleaded not guilty in court.
Released on a $25,000 bond, she and others involved, including attorney Jason Giles, face charges of fraud, obstruction, and witness tampering amid mounting legal repercussions.
Motta had previously worked on Jurassic World, Logan, Furious 7, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and other films as a stuntwoman before her legal career, according to her IMDb profile.
