Trucking news and briefs for Friday, July 2, 2021:
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana announced four more guilty pleas in the widespread staged-accident fraud scheme in the New Orleans area that targeted motor carriers and insurance companies.
On June 23, James “Curtis” Williams and Ryan Wheaten entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. According to the plea, on March 27, 2017, Williams conspired with co-defendants Tanya Givens, John Diggs and Lois Russell to stage an accident with a tractor-trailer at the intersection of Chef Menteur Highway and Downman Road. In total, the victim trucking and insurance companies paid out approximately $272,500 for fraudulent claims made after the staged accident.
Also according to the plea, on May 17, 2017, Wheaten participated in a staged automobile accident in the vicinity of U.S. Highway 90 East and Calliope Street in New Orleans. The victim trucking and insurance companies paid out approximately $10,000.00 for fraudulent claims made following the staged accident.
Williams and Wheaten face a maximum sentence of five years. Upon release from prison, Williams and Wheaten also face a term of supervised release up to three years, and/or a fine of $250,000 or the greater of twice the gross gain to each defendant or twice the gross loss to any person.
Additionally, Anthony Robinson and Audrey Harris were sentenced to four years in prison for participating in a scheme to defraud a trucking company and their insurer by staging an automobile accident with a tractor-trailer on October 13, 2015.
The husband-wife duo worked with co-conspirators to stage an accident with a tractor-trailer that resulted in the victim trucking and insurance company paid out a total of approximately $4.7 million for the fraudulent claims
