The Department of Justices’ investigation into staged crashes with 18-wheelers in New Orleans is racking up the convictions.
United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Ishais Price, 41, of New Orleans, was sentenced today for Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, for his role in a massive and lucrative scheme to purposely crash into an 18-wheeler and then make a false insurance claim with the trucking company’s insurance company.
So far, the total number of defendants convicted in “Operation Sideswipe” is thirty-seven.
According to documents filed in federal court, Price, along with her co-defendants, Doniesha Gibson, of New Orleans, and Chandrika Brown, of Harvey, and another co-defendant driver conspired to commit mail fraud in connection with a staged accident with a co-defendant driver.
Price claimed that on October 15, 2015, she was a passenger in a 2014 Dodge Avenger owned and driven by Gibson that was hit by a Hotard bus while traveling on the I-10 near the flyover of the I-510.
Also in the vehicle was defendant Brown. The co-defendant asked Gibson to recruit Brown and PRICE to ride along as passengers and he then intentionally sought out a commercial vehicle to intentionally hit according to federal prosecutors.
After the staged accident, the co-defendant driver switched seats with Gibson, and they called the NOPD.
According to the DOJ, Gibson, along with the passengers, falsely stated that the Hotard bus illegally changed lanes and caused the accident.
The DOJ says Brown, Gibson, Price, and the co-defendant driver each retained counsel and made demands against Hotard’s owner and insurer for personal injury damages. As a result of the claims, the insurer paid a settlement to Brown, Gibson, Price, and the co-defendant driver’s counsel.
The total settlement for the Hotard bus accident was approximately $677,500. U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance sentenced PRICE to one year and one-day imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
