Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, March 24, 2026:
Two attorneys found guilty for roles in New Orleans staged-crash scheme
Two attorneys associated with the widespread staged-crash scheme in Louisiana were found guilty last week, the Department of Justice announced.
Vanessa Motta and Jason F. Giles were found guilty following a three-week trial. The law firms of Motta Law LLC and The King Firm LLC were also convicted, along with co-conspirator Diamanike F. Stalbert. The jury found Motta, Motta Law, Giles, and The King Firm guilty of all counts against them. Stalbert was found guilty of making false statements to federal agents.
Count 1 charged all five defendants with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Count 2 charged Giles and The King Firm, and counts 4 and 5 charged Motta and Motta Law with mail fraud. Count 6 charged Motta and Motta Law, and count 8 charged Giles and The King Firm, with obstruction of justice. Count 7 charged Motta and Motta Law, and count 9 charged Giles and The King Firm, with witness tampering. Count 10 charged Stalbert with making false statements to federal agents.
According to court documents, the defendants participated in a long-running scheme to defraud insurance companies and commercial trucking companies by staging and litigating fraudulent collisions to collect insurance company payouts. That scheme began approximately in December 2011 and continued until December 2024, and it involved New Orleans area personal injury attorneys (including Motta, Motta Law, Giles, and The King Firm) paying “slammers” to recruit passengers to participate in purposeful collisions with automobiles, especially tractor-trailers with large commercial insurance policies.
[Related: New bill would make staged-accident fraud a federal crime]
The attorneys would then litigate those cases on behalf of the passengers, often encouraging those passengers to seek medically unnecessary neck and back surgeries to incur medical costs and increase the size of future insurance company settlements.
Along with slammers, attorneys, and passengers, the scheme also included “spotters,” who drove getaway cars for the slammers, and “recruiters” like Stalbert, who facilitated numerous staged collisions by bringing new passengers into the scheme.
The jury also found Motta and Motta Law guilty of obstruction of justice and witness tampering relating to an effort to pay a witness to move to the Bahamas to impede any cooperation with federal authorities. The jury likewise found Giles and The King Firm guilty of obstruction of justice and witness tampering for secretly recording a charged individual in October 2020 in an effort to manufacture exculpatory evidence. Stalbert was acquitted of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter will sentence Motta and Motta Law on July 7, Giles and The King Firm on July 14, and Stalbert on July 21.
[Related: Members of Congress push for task force on staged accident fraud]
The maximum penalty for mail fraud, mail and wire fraud conspiracy, and witness tampering is 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain to any defendant or twice the gross loss to any victim.
The maximum penalty for obstruction of justice is 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain to any defendant or twice the gross loss to any victim.
The maximum penalty for making false statements to a federal agent is up to five years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. The Court may also impose restitution. Additionally, each defendant also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count of conviction.
Including this trial, 63 defendants have been charged in staged-crash scheme in the New Orleans metropolitan area.
[Related: One sentenced, three plead guilty in Louisiana staged-accident fraud scheme]
Honolulu Freight Services opens new HQ
Hawaiian multi-modal transportation service company Honolulu Freight Service (HFS) has opened a new statewide headquarters at the former Love’s Bakery building at 911 Middle Street in Honolulu.
The 92,400-square-foot building and 3 acres of industrial property in the heart of Honolulu will allow HFS to streamline and upgrade operations, the company said. This includes expanding services in air and ocean interisland transportation, cold chain, door-to-door trucking, and short-term storage capacity.
“Freight forwarders are critical to the communities and businesses of Hawaii, and Honolulu Freight Service is proud to continue our deep legacy of service in the Pacific,” said HFS President and CEO Jim Beidleman. “After years of growth, Honolulu Freight Service has made significant investments in our infrastructure to support clients who ship to, from and within Hawaii.”
The building, which was purchased by HFS in October 2022 following the closure of Love’s Bakery operations in March 2021, has undergone comprehensive renovations. It is now the most technologically advanced multimodal shipping facility of its kind in the state, offering ground, ocean and air freight services.
The location will be fully operational this spring, with more than 200 staff on-site, allowing HFS to consolidate two of its three Oahu facilities.
This year marks 90 years of service for HFS under the third generation of ownership and management by the Beidleman family. The company was founded in 1936 by Paul Beidleman, who developed new systems to more efficiently transport cargo from the U.S. West Coast to Hawaii.
In addition to Honolulu, HFS terminal locations include Tacoma, Washington; Los Angeles and Oakland, California; Portland, Oregon; and Guam. The company’s comprehensive services include less-than-truckload, truckload, intermodal and multi-modal services (steamship, barge, rail and air) serving all 50 states.
The company also includes three asset-based trucking divisions:
- Xpress Trucking, Inc., with operations based on Oahu and Maui offering freight and container drayage services on each island.
- Allstate Transport, Inc., a Seattle-based container drayage company offering service throughout the Pacific Northwest.
- Inter-City Delivery Company, offering container drayage and local trucking services in the Southern and Northern California markets.
WIT unveils Top Women to Watch in Trucking list
The Women in Trucking Association (WIT) on Monday announced its list of 2026 Top Women to Watch in Trucking.
The editorial staff of Redefining the Road, WIT’s official magazine, selected 75 individuals based upon their character and their significant career accomplishments in the past 12 to 18 months.
“Part of WIT’s mission is to recognize women for their career accomplishments, their meaningful impact on the success of their companies, and their contributions to the industry at-large,” said Jennifer Hedrick, CAE, WIT president and CEO. “These 75 professionals exemplify the mission, vision, and values of the Women in Trucking Association and truly are impressive women to watch in our industry.”
Redefining the Road magazine has been honoring top performers in the industry through this recognition program for nine years, according to Brian Everett, group publisher and editorial director of the magazine.
Those recognized on the 2026 Top Women to Watch in Trucking list work for a broad range of company types, including motor carriers, third-party logistics companies, equipment manufacturers, professional services companies, technology innovators and private fleets. Their job functions include corporate management (45%), operations (20%), sales and marketing (11%), HR/talent management (7%), strategic initiatives (5%), technology (4%), engineering (4%), professional driver (3%), and technician (1%).
