Quartet of Louisiana staged accident ‘slammers’ and other participants plead guilty to federal charges Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves
Four individuals indicted earlier this year in the Louisiana staged accident scheme pleaded guilty to federal mail fraud charges Thursday, bringing the total number of guilty pleas in the scandal to 15.
The four individuals pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of New Orleans to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, which has been the federal charge used against virtually all the defendants in the case. The defendants who pleaded guilty are Anthony Robinson, 67; Audrey Harris, 53; Jerry Schaffer, 66; and Keishira Robinson, 26, all of New Orleans.
Four more defendants pleaded guilty Thursday in a conspiracy to stage a New Orleans vehicle accident for $4.7 million in insurance payouts.
That brings to 15 the number of people, out of 33 defendants, who have admitted guilt in a wide-ranging federal investigation of drivers, passengers, other accomplices and a lawyer accused of intentionally crashing vehicles into tractor-trailer rigs.
2015 wreck begat $4.7 million payoff for attorneys, defendants, grand jury says
The latest are Anthony Robinson, 67, Audrey Harris, 53, Jerry Schaffer, 66, and Keishira Robinson, 26, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
Prosecutors said Harris, Schaeffer and Keishira Robinson were riding in a vehicle owned by Anthony Robinson when its driver, Roderick Hickman, steered it into a tractor trailer on Oct. 13, 2015, at Alvar Street and France Road. Hickman, known as a slammer, hopped out and entered another vehicle driven by Damian Labeaud, a spotter. Anthony Robinson exited L
WDSU Investigates: 4 more plead guilty in staged wrecks scheme, almost 40 charged Share Updated: 5:49 PM CST Dec 17, 2020 Share Updated: 5:49 PM CST Dec 17, 2020
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Show Transcript LATEST CDC GUIDELINES. NOW TO THE LATEST STORY FROM WDSU INVESTIGATE. MORE GUILTY PLEAS IN A SCHEME WE TOLD YOU ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO. WE ARE LIVE AT FEDERAL COURT WITH THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS. NEXT FOUR MORE PEOPLE HAVE PLEADED GUILTY TO THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN THIS STAGED WRECK SCENE, BASICALLY, STAGING WRECKS WITH 18 WHEELERS AND THEN BILLING THE INSURANCE COMPANIES, IN THIS CASE FOR SEVEN FIGURES. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. THESE ARE THE FOUR PEOPLE WHO ALL PLEADED GUILTY ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO. ACCORDING TO COURT RECORDS, ALL BENEFIT TO THE TUNE OF A COMBINED $4 MILLION FOR CLAIMING THAT AN 18 WILL YOUR WHEELER HIT THEM WHEN IN FACT THEY STAGED THE WRECK. THEY WORKED WITH A LOCAL LAWYER TO HELP DEFRAUD THE INSURANCE COMPANY. EVERYTHING HAPPENED IN 20 15 NEAR FRANCE
Four more guilty pleas in insurance scam at the center of Highway Robbery investigation
The case has been a top priority for the local FBI and U.S. Attorney’s office since the scam surfaced more than a year ago.
Credit: WWLTV Published: 8:04 PM CST December 17, 2020 Updated: 8:04 PM CST December 17, 2020
NEW ORLEANS Four more defendants pleaded guilty Thursday in the massive staged accident fraud case involving insurance fraud from staged accidents with 18-wheelers, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced.
The sprawling investigation has now netted 15 guilty pleas out of 33 defendants. The four defendants who pleaded guilty Thursday confessed to packing into a car Oct. 13, 2015 driven by previously convicted co-defendant Roderick Hickman.
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