Land Line Media
A personal injury attorney is the latest person to be sentenced in Operation Sideswipe – an elaborate scheme that staged crashes with tractor-trailers in search of a payday.
Danny Patrick Keating Jr., 57, of New Orleans, was sentenced on Oct. 15 for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, arising from his role in 31 staged crashes.
In Operation Sideswipe, “slammers” were paid to participate in intentional collisions with heavy-duty trucks.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Keating admitted in 2021 to paying Damian Labeaud for 31 illegally staged tractor-trailer crashes. Keating represented 77 plaintiffs involved in the 31 crashes staged by Labeaud and 17 of the cases ended with a settlement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
An indictment claimed that Keating and his clients received approximately $1.5 million from the settlements. Keating reportedly received about $358,000 in attorney’s fees.
“Keating admitted filing lawsuits in state and federal court in Louisiana, on behalf of his clients who were involved in the staged accidents,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office wrote. “The lawsuits he filed on behalf of the 77 plaintiffs fraudulently misrepresented the identity of the driver of these vehicles, fraudulently misrepresented who was at fault in the staged accidents and fraudulently claimed injuries.”
In addition, Keating used the U.S. Postal Service to mail settlement demands, and his clients provided false testimony in depositions taken in conjunction with the lawsuits he filed.
U.S. District Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown sentenced Keating to 32 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Keating was also ordered to pay more than $657,000 in restitution.
So far, 63 defendants have been charged in a federal probe into the staging of such collisions.
Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act
Congress is trying to make conspiracies like Operation Sideswipe a thing of the past.
In July, Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., introduced the Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act. S5058 would make staged crashes with a commercial motor vehicle a federal crime.
There is also a House version of the bill, which was introduced by Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., in 2025.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association supports the efforts.
“Staged accidents are not victimless crimes,” OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh said. “These are calculated, premeditated assaults that endanger lives, destroy livelihoods and compromise highway safety. To add insult to injury, criminals abuse the legal system for profit through false accusations and lawsuits, which contribute to skyrocketing insurance premiums for small trucking businesses.”
