New Orleans woman Chandrika Brown, 30, pleaded guilty today to orchestrating a staged automobile crash designed to rip off insurance and trucking companies, capping another conviction in the sprawling ‘Operation Sideswipe’ probe. Brown admitted to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, a federal crime that leveraged false personal injury claims following a manufactured collision on I-10 near the I-510 flyover.
According to court records, the October 15, 2015, crash involved a 2014 Dodge Avenger driven by co-defendant Doniesha Gibson, with Brown and Ishais Price as passengers. In reality, a co-defendant driver planned the wreck, instructing Gibson to recruit Brown and Price. The driver then deliberately targeted a Hotard bus, initiating a collision before switching seats post-impact to conceal his role. All parties falsely told NOPD that the bus had illegally changed lanes.
After the staged crash, Brown, Gibson, Price, and the driver each hired attorneys and filed injury claims against Hotard’s owner and insurer. The fraud succeeded: the insurer mailed settlement drafts totaling approximately $677,500, distributed through the U.S. mail—triggering federal mail fraud charges. The scheme exploited the legal system and insurance protocols meant to protect accident victims.
Brown now faces up to five years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, or double the financial gain or loss under 18 U.S.C. § 3571, plus three years of supervised release and a mandatory $100 special assessment. Sentencing is set for February 16, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance.
Today’s guilty plea brings the total number of convictions in ‘Operation Sideswipe’ to 29, reflecting a long-running, coordinated effort to dismantle a crash-for-cash enterprise that preyed on commercial carriers and insurers. Authorities describe the network as a criminal assembly line: recruiting passengers, selecting targets, staging wrecks, and filing fraudulent claims with precision.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission. Prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian M. Klebba, Edward J. Rivera, Maria Carboni, and Brandon Long—members of the Financial Crimes Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
RELATED: Chandrika Brown Pleads Guilty in $677K Staged Crash Scheme
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Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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