Four more plead guilty in Louisiana staged-accident fraud scheme

Overdrive Online, Apr. 20, 2022

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans in the Eastern District of Louisiana recently announced four more individuals have pleaded guilty in the widespread staged-accident fraud scheme in New Orleans targeting mostly trucking companies and their insurers, bringing the total number of guilty pleas in the case to 36.

Ashley McGowan, who falsely claimed to be a passenger in a car that was struck by a tractor-trailer on June 8, 2016, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.

According to her indictment, McGowan was riding in a “spotter” car at the time of the collision and got into the “slammer” car involved in the crash after the collision occurred in hopes of receiving monetary settlements.

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