AM Show Hr 3 | Operation Sideswipe: The Staged Crashes Targeting Truckers

The Michael Berry Show dives into Operation Sideswipe, a federal criminal investigation in New Orleans exposing a decade-long conspiracy where attorneys orchestrated staged crashes between 18-wheelers and passenger vehicles. The scheme, allegedly run by plaintiff's attorneys like Vanessa Mata and Jason Giles, involved hiring 'slammers'—individuals who intentionally crashed into trucks—to inflate injury claims and maximize payouts. These slammers were often filled with passengers to increase damages, then funneled through clinics and doctors on the payroll who fabricated medical injuries and inflated bills, driving up insurance costs. The operation, which spanned over 10 years, reportedly cost truckers and insurers over $100 million and created a systemic insurance crisis in Louisiana, the most expensive state for trucking insurance. The story takes a dark turn with the 2020 murder of Cornelius Garrison, an alleged slammer who was cooperating with the FBI. He was assassinated, allegedly on orders from the scheme’s masterminds, including disbarred attorney Sean Alfordish and others, with a hitman pleading guilty to the crime. The episode underscores the far-reaching consequences: ruined truckers’ careers, inflated consumer prices, and the moral bankruptcy of a system where legal professionals orchestrated violence and fraud. Despite the gravity of the case, host Michael Berry cautions against demonizing all lawyers, emphasizing the need for justice in legitimate harm cases while condemning this organized criminal enterprise.