NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Legal professional Duane A. Evans introduced now that DANNY PATRICK KEATING, JR., age 52, of New Orleans, Louisiana, entered a plea of guilty now to Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Part 371, arising out of staged auto accidents with tractor-trailers developing in New Orleans right before Main United States District Court docket Decide Nannette Jolivette Brown.
KEATING was the thirty-3rd (33rd) defendant billed in the Government’s federal probe into the intentional staging of motor vehicle mishaps with tractor-trailers and business autos in the metropolitan New Orleans place. Consequently significantly, 20-3 (23) of the thirty-3 (33) indicted defendants have tendered guilty pleas in federal court docket.
According to today’s responsible plea, KEATING was a personalized harm lawyer certified to practice law in the Point out of Louisiana. KEATING admitted to conspiring with Damian Labeaud and other individuals to defraud insurance organizations, industrial carriers, and trucking companies in a scheme involving intentionally staging vehicle accidents.
Labeaud referred staged mishaps to KEATING and other New Orleans own damage lawyers for $1,000.00 per passenger for incidents involving tractor-trailers and $500.00 per passenger for accidents not involving tractor-trailers. KEATING advanced Labeaud countless numbers of pounds for these incidents and instructed Labeaud that he owed KEATING a particular selection of mishaps centered on the amount of funds state-of-the-art. For instance, on July 17, 2017, KEATING gave Labeaud $15,000.00 so Labeaud could invest in a $15,000.00 Chase Lender cashier’s check to obtain Mario Solomon’s truck.[1]On top of that, on September 25, 2017, KEATING wrote a $17,000.00 check to himself for “advertising” and utilised the proceeds to buy a $17,000.00 cashier’s check out payable to Labeaud. The Indictment alleges KEATING compensated Labeaud a further $12,500.00 in checks all through the thirty day period of June 2017.
KEATING admitted he knowingly paid out Labeaud for 30-a single (31) illegally staged tractor-trailer incidents. KEATING represented seventy-seven (77) plaintiffs associated in the thirty-1 (31) accidents staged by Labeaud. KEATING settled seventeen (17) of the thirty-a person (31) staged accidents. The Indictment billed that KEATING and his consumers acquired somewhere around $1,500,000.00 in settlement resulting from his illustration of his shoppers concerned in the staged accidents and that KEATING held somewhere around $358,000.00 in attorney’s costs.
KEATING admitted he submitted lawsuits in point out and federal courtroom in Louisiana on behalf of his consumers who were concerned in the staged accidents. The lawsuits filed on behalf of the seventy-seven (77) plaintiffs fraudulently alleged who was driving the automobiles, misrepresented who was at fault in the staged incidents, and falsely claimed injuries. KEATING made use of the U.S Postal Support to mail settlement demands on behalf of his purchasers who were being associated in staged accidents from the Japanese District of Louisiana to various out-of-condition destinations. In lots of circumstances, customers of KEATING furnished fake testimony in depositions taken in conjunction with lawsuits submitted by KEATING.
KEATING faces a optimum time period of five (5) decades imprisonment, a wonderful of $250,000.00 or twice the gross obtain to the defendant or two times the gross decline to any person of the offense underneath Title 18, United States Code, Part 3571. In addition, KEATING faces a term of supervised launch up to three (3) years following his release from jail. Sentencing in this matter is scheduled for January 20, 2021, in advance of Main United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown.
“Fraud, regardless of its scope and usually means of orchestration, is a really serious criminal offense. Especially egregious is fraud committed from the hardworking taxpayer by a member of our lawful community, said U.S. Lawyer of the Japanese District of Louisiana Duane A. Evans.” This responsible plea sends a crystal clear information that our office, alongside with our neighborhood, point out, and federal partners, will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute all such corruption instances irrespective of position.
“Today’s responsible plea sends a distinct information to people today who pick out to have interaction in fraudulent techniques that grossly affect vehicle and health and fitness insurance coverage industries. They will be held accountable. Mr. Patrick Keating, a nearby attorney, took an oath to uphold the United States Structure and the regulations of the Point out of Louisiana, but as an alternative, violated those laws and his oath in get to unjustly enrich himself by participating in a plan which resulted in the filing of fraudulent car and professional medical insurance coverage promises,” said Particular Agent in Demand Douglas Williams, Jr. ”I would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Business office of Jap District of Louisiana, Louisiana Condition Police, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission for their partnership and superb function accomplished in the course of this investigation.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Workplace would also like to accept the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Louisiana State Law enforcement, and the Metropolitan Criminal offense Commission with this make a difference. The prosecution of this scenario is currently being dealt with by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit Assistant U.S. Legal professional Edward Rivera Assistant U.S. Legal professional Shirin Hakimzadeh and Assistant U.S. Lawyer Maria Carboni.
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[1]Solomon was a spotter who labored with Labeaud in staging vehicle mishaps. Solomon pled guilty on Might 28, 2020, and was sentenced on January 22, 2021.