Sean Alfortish(left) and Vanessa Motta
NEW ORLEANS — A murder-for-hire trial has begun for a disbarred attorney and his alleged hitman that was spawned from a staged-collision insurance fraud scheme.
Sean Alfortish, who also is a former Kenner magistrate judge, and Leon “Chunky” Parker are on trial in federal court on charges including conspiracy to commit witness tampering by murder. After two days of jury selection, opening statements took place August 12.
Authorities say Alfortish learned Cornelius Garrison secretly was cooperating with the FBI and paid Parker to silence Garrison, who was shot and killed outside his mother’s Gentilly home in September 2020 just four days after he was named in a federal indictment in “Operation Sideswipe.” Garrison’s murder went unsolved until Alfortish and Parker were charged in 2025.
“Operation Sideswipe” was an FBI investigation that exposed a scheme in which “slammers” packed cars with passengers to deliberately sideswipe commercial trucks and file fraudulent insurance claims. Garrison was a slammer and recruiter in the scheme, authorities say.
This trial is related to one from March when attorneys Vanessa Motta and Jason Giles were convicted on witness tampering, obstruction of justice, mail fraud and conspiracy charges in the staged-crash scheme. Both are in jail, but have requested new trials. Sentencing is scheduled for September.
During Wednesday’s opening statements, federal prosecutor Matthew Payne didn’t mince words.
"It was an assassination,” Payne said. “It was a hit. Parker didn't just shoot once. He shot Cornelius Garrison 10 times to send a message that would be heard across the city. …
“They shot him at his mom’s house. They shot him 10 times. That sends a message: Don't cooperate.”
Parker’s attorney said his client didn’t pull the trigger.
“It wasn’t Leon Parker who killed Cornelius Garrison,” Stephen Haedicke told the jury. “It was Ryan Harris, because he knew Cornelius Garrison was going to take him down.”
Alfortish’s attorney also claimed Harris was responsible.
Shaun Clarke said the staged accident scheme and fraud were real, but he said his client didn’t finance or request Garrison’s murder.
The first witness was public defender Claude Kelly, who represented Garrison before his death. He said Garrison was cooperating and feared retaliation.
“He was concerned,” Kelly testified. “He was scared. He said Alfortish … he don't play.”
Payne said Garrison would sideswipe trucks and leave the scene while a passenger moved to the driver's seat. The passengers would file lawsuits for insurance settlements.
“That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you get paid in an 18-wheeler scheme,” Payne told the jurors, also using the example of one crash netting $837,000 from insurance including $300,000 in attorney fees.
Prosecutors say Motta and Alfortish, who were engaged and have a child together, would file the fraudulent lawsuits. They also say Alfortish asked Harris, another slammer, if he could kill Garrison.
Prosecutors allege that Alfortish asked a slammer in the scheme, Ryan Harris, whether he could kill Garrison. Harris also is Parker’s stepson.
