New Orleans personal injury attorney pleads guilty in connection to staged car crashes

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) -A prominent New Orleans injury attorney pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to his role in staged automobile accidents with tractor-trailers.

Danny Patrick Keating, Jr., 52, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

Keating was the 33rd defendant charged in the federal probe into the intentional staging of car accidents with tractor-trailers and commercial vehicles.

So far, 23 of 33 of those indicted have entered guilty pleas.

According to today’s guilty plea, Keating admitted to conspiring with Damian Labeaud and others to defraud insurance companies, commercial carriers, and trucking companies in a scheme involving intentionally staging automobile accidents.

Labeaud referred staged accidents to Keating and other New Orleans personal injury attorneys for $1,000.00 per passenger for accidents involving tractor-trailers and $500.00 per passenger for accidents not involving tractor-trailers.

Keating advanced Labeaud thousands of dollars for these accidents and instructed Labeaud that he owed Keating a certain number of accidents based on the amount of money advanced.

Keating admitted he filed lawsuits in state and federal court in Louisiana on behalf of clients who were involved in the staged accidents. The lawsuits filed on behalf of the 77 plaintiffs fraudulently alleged who was driving the vehicles, misrepresented who was at fault, and falsely claimed injuries.

In many cases, clients of Keating provided false testimony in depositions.

He faces a maximum term of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.00.

In addition, Keating faces a term of supervised release up to three years after his release from prison.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2022, before Chief United States District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown.

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