NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Another player in a brazen insurance and trucking fraud scheme has faced justice. Dashontae YOUNG, 28, of Houma, Louisiana, was sentenced today to five years probation, a hefty $43,000.00 in restitution, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee for Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. The charge stems from a meticulously planned automobile collision with a tractor-trailer that unfolded in New Orleans back in 2017.
Federal court documents detail how YOUNG, alongside co-defendants Lucinda Thomas, Mary Wade, and Judy Williams, traveled from Houma to meet with Damian Labeaud. The purpose? To orchestrate a fake accident for financial gain. The group agreed Labeaud would drive Thomas’ 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche. They then cruised the area around Chef Menteur Highway and Downman Road, hunting for a suitable target: a 2017 Freightliner tractor-trailer. At approximately 12:30 P.M., Labeaud deliberately rammed the Avalanche into the truck.
The scheme didn’t end with the impact. Labeaud immediately instructed Thomas to take the driver’s seat of the Avalanche, creating the false impression she was behind the wheel during the crash. The quartet then contacted the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), filing a false report claiming Thomas was the driver and that the tractor-trailer driver was at fault. Labeaud further compounded the deception by providing fabricated eyewitness testimony to the NOPD, bolstering the false narrative.
Before and after the staged collision, Labeaud had been in contact with attorney Patrick Keating, arranging a meeting with Thomas, Wade, Williams, and YOUNG at a fast-food restaurant on Chef Menteur Highway. Keating subsequently filed two lawsuits in state court, which were later moved to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Thomas, Wade, and Williams each confessed to delivering false testimony during depositions related to those lawsuits. After a year of pursuing their fraudulent claims, the group managed to secure settlements of $7,500.00 each.
U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon handed down the sentence to YOUNG. While the sentence leans toward leniency with probation, the significant restitution order aims to recoup some of the financial losses caused by the elaborate scheme. The U.S. Attorney’s Office extended gratitude to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Police, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission for their assistance in unraveling the fraud.
The prosecution team comprised Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian M. Klebba, Maria Carboni, Edward Rivera, and Brandon Long. This case serves as a stark reminder that attempts to defraud insurance companies and trucking firms will be met with federal scrutiny and prosecution. The Grimy Times will continue to track the fallout from this case and others like it, exposing the underbelly of fraud in Louisiana and beyond.
Related Federal Cases
- Metairie Fraudster Gets 43-Month Sentence in $10M Tax Scam · Alabama
- Rouse, Tapia Copped 3 Years Probation in Online Pharmacy Scam · Pennsylvania
- Meridian Man Gets Probation for Black Bear Killing · Mississippi
- Houma Predator Chauvin Gets 7 Years for Child Porn · Louisiana
- Hill Gets 15 Years for Meth & Stolen Gun · Georgia
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News