New Orleans Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Stage Automobile Accidents in Order to Defraud Insurance and Trucking Companies | USAO-EDLA

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Legal professional Duane A. Evans declared right now that AISHA THOMPSON (“THOMPSON”), age 43, of New Orleans, Louisiana, entered a plea of guilty on October 6, 2021 to Conspiracy to Dedicate Mail Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Portion 371, arising out of staged automobile incidents with tractor-trailers occurring in New Orleans.

According to the guilty plea, THOMPSON, along with her co-defendants, Dewayne Coleman, Erica Lee Thompson (“Erica Lee”), Donisha Lee, Passenger A, and Donreion Lee, conspired to dedicate mail fraud in relationship with a staged accident with Cornelius Garrison, developing on September 6, 2017. Today’s responsible plea brings the complete quantity of defendants convicted in “Operation Sideswipe” to 20-8 (28).

THOMPSON falsely claimed that on September 6, 2017, on the I-10 close to the Almonaster exit, she was a passenger in co-defendant Erica Lee’s 2015 RAV4 staying driven by their previous co-defendant, when he intentionally crashed into a tractor-trailer owned by Averitt Categorical.  After the staged accident, the driver exited the RAV4 and told Erica Lee to get powering the wheel of the RAV4 to make it seem that Erica Lee was driving the auto at the time of the staged incident.  The defendants contacted the NOPD and falsely claimed that Erica Lee was the driver at the time of the collision.  Passenger A falsely claimed to the NOPD that she was THOMPSON.

Close to one or two days just after the staged incident, Coleman, Donisha Lee, Donreion Lee, Erica Lee, and THOMPSON went to an attorney’s place of work for the function of gathering dollars from the insurance policies and trucking firm.  Coleman, Donisha Lee, Donreion Lee, Erica Lee, and THOMPSON sought health care procedure from medical doctors and healthcare suppliers.  THOMPSON was handled in spite of not being in the RAV4 at the time of the staged incident. THOMPSON retained counsel and created a declare for damages. The whole settlement for the Averitt accident was $30,000.

On March 26, 2019, Coleman, Donisha Lee, and Donreion Lee every supplied false testimony in depositions taken in conjunction with the Thompson Lawsuit. On April 9, 2019, THOMPSON delivered untrue testimony in a deposition taken in conjunction with the Thompson Lawsuit. In these depositions, THOMPSON, Coleman, Donisha Lee, and Donreion Lee, lied about the September 6, 2017 incident which includes, but not confined to, who was driving the RAV4 and the extent of their accidents.

THOMPSON faces a utmost sentence of 5 (5) yrs of incarceration. Upon release from jail, THOMPSON also faces a expression of supervised launch up to (3) a few decades, and/or a high-quality of $250,000 or the increased of 2 times the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross decline to any human being underneath Title 18, United States Code, Area 3571, and a obligatory $100 particular assessment charge. Sentencing in this make a difference is scheduled for February 16, 2022 ahead of United States District Choose Sarah S. Vance.

The U.S. Attorney’s Workplace would also like to accept the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana Condition Police, and the Metropolitan Criminal offense Fee with this matter. The prosecution of this situation is remaining taken care of by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Fiscal Crimes Unit Assistant U.S. Legal professional Edward J. Rivera Assistant U.S. Legal professional Maria Carboni and Assistant U.S. Lawyer Brandon Extended.