Long-running insurance fraud ring ends in murder of federal witness
More than 50 people have been charged for their involvement in the insurance fraud ring, which operated since at least 2015.
A pair of Louisiana insurance scammers is facing life in prison after what law enforcement agents characterize as a years-long, staged accident scheme that ended with the murder of a co-conspirator-turned-federal witness, according to an indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Ryan J. Harris and Jovanna R. Gardner face five charges related to the murder of Cornelius Garrison, who began cooperating with federal agents in October 2019, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. The duo could receive a life sentence if convicted of charges related to Garrison’s murder.
Harris, Gardner and Garrison were allegedly involved in an insurance fraud ring that staged automobile accidents around the New Orleans metro area going as far back as 2015. The group’s modus operandi involved “slammers,” or individuals who intentionally collide with semitrucks and other commercial vehicles, and a passenger. Once the accident occurred, the slammer fled the scene, and the passenger claimed to have been the driver during the accident. The passenger would then file fake insurance claims and lawsuits.
The scheme also included a “spotter,” who drove the slammer away from the crash scene before police could arrive. Spotters also fabricated eyewitness accounts of the crash and allege the commercial vehicle’s driver was at fault.
Garrison worked as a slammer and a spotter with Harris. Along with Gardner and other co-conspirators recruited into the scheme, they staged multiple accidents around New Orleans.
In October 2019, Garrison began covertly cooperating with federal agents, and less than a year later he was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and other offenses related to the insurance scams.
On Sept. 22, 2020, just two days after Garrison was indicted, Harris and Gardner killed him to prevent the insurance fraud ring from being exposed, the attorney’s office alleges.
According to the U.S. attorney’s office, 52 defendants have been charged for participating in staged accidents related to the fraud group. In addition to spotters, slammers and passengers, the scheme involved lawyers who pursued the claims and lawsuits knowing the collisions had been staged.
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