Federal authorities have charged a former stuntwoman who is now an attorney with orchestrating a scheme in New Orleans. The alleged plan involved staging car crashes to file fraudulent insurance claims and lawsuits.
Vanessa Motta, aged 43, her disbarred lawyer fiancé, Sean Alfortish, and a group of professional drivers known as “slammers” are among the individuals accused of participating in this scheme. The “slammers” intentionally crashed into 18-wheelers and then left the scene of the accidents.
Additionally, a getaway driver would assist the “slammer” in escaping, while the passenger of the slamming vehicle would claim to have been the one driving during the crash. To further the deception, other collaborators would pose as witnesses and assert that the 18-wheeler drivers were responsible for the collisions.
Motta, who allegedly filed the fraudulent claims and suits after the crashes, dabbed her eyes in court and pleaded not guilty on Monday, Nola.com reported.
Only Parker and Alfortish, 57, are currently behind bars. Prosecutors said Alfortish was “engaged in a months-long scheme to silence Garrison” before he was murdered through offers to pay him off or move him to the Bahamas, according to the outlet.
Motta was released pending trial on a $25,000 bond on Monday, while Giles was released on a $100,000 secured bond, according to court records. Motta could not immediately be reached for comment.
The embattled former stuntwoman worked on Jurassic World, Logan, Furious 7, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and other films, according to her IMDb profile.
Motta’s television commercials characterized her as a “stuntwoman turned bad a– attorney” and showed her involved in numerous stunts.