A Louisiana man pleaded guilty of participating in insurance fraud scheme involving staged accidents with commercial trucks in the New Orleans area.
The U.S. Justice Department said Dewayne Coleman, age 22, of Marrero, Louisiana, entered a plea of guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, arising out of staged automobile accidents with tractor-trailers occurring in New Orleans.
Coleman’s guilty plea brings to 27 total number of defendants convicted in “Operation Sideswipe,” a long running scheme to defraud trucking and insurance companies.
According to Coleman’s plea, he and co-defendants Erica Lee Thompson, Donisha Lee, Donreion Lee, and Aisha Thompson, conspired to commit a staged accident with Cornelius Garrison, occurring on Sept. 6, 2017.
Coleman admitted that on Sept. 6, 2017, on the I-10 near the Almonaster exit, he was a passenger in co-defendant Erica Lee Thompson’s’s 2015 RAV4 being driven by their former co-defendant, when he intentionally crashed into a tractor-trailer owned by Averitt Express.
After the staged accident, the driver exited the RAV4 and told Erica Lee to get behind the wheel of the RAV4 to make it appear that Erica Lee was driving the vehicle at the time of the staged accident. The defendants contacted the NOPD and falsely claimed that Erica Lee was the driver at the time of the collision. Coleman retained counsel and made a claim for damages. The total settlement for the Averitt accident was $30,000.
Coleman, along with other defendants, testified falsely in depositions about the nature of the accident and the extent of their injuries, the U.S. Justice Department said.
Coleman faces a maximum sentence of five years of incarceration. Upon release from prison, Coleman also faces 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 the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan.5, 2022, before United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission assisted with the investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit; Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera; Assistant U.S. Attorney Shirin Hakimzadeh; Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Carboni; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Long.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana
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