Sean Alfortish and Leon Parker have pleaded not guilty to charges accusing them of conspiring to kill cooperating witness Cornelius Garrison.
NEW ORLEANS, LA — Jury selection is set to begin Monday in the federal trial of two New Orleans men accused of conspiring to kill a witness who was secretly helping the FBI investigate a wide-ranging staged automobile collision scheme.
Disbarred attorney Sean D. Alfortish and Leon M. Parker, also known as “Chunky,” are scheduled to face a jury before Chief U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter. Federal prosecutors allege the men took part in the September 2020 killing of Cornelius Garrison, a participant in the staged-crash operation who had begun cooperating with investigators. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty, and the charges against them remain allegations that prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt.
A federal grand jury charged Alfortish and Parker with conspiracy to commit witness tampering through murder, witness tampering through murder, conspiracy to retaliate against a witness through murder, retaliation against a witness through murder and causing death through the use of a firearm. The most serious charges carry the possibility of life in prison if the men are convicted. Prosecutors also have accused them of taking part in the broader fraud conspiracy involving staged crashes, insurance claims and lawsuits.
Garrison was killed Sept. 22, 2020, at his mother’s home in New Orleans, according to the Justice Department. Authorities said he had worked as a “slammer,” the term investigators use for drivers who deliberately caused collisions, including crashes involving 18-wheelers and other commercial vehicles. Garrison also recruited others into the operation. He began covertly cooperating with federal investigators in October 2019, prosecutors said.
Investigators allege Alfortish paid Parker to kill Garrison while Garrison was providing information to the FBI. The government’s indictment ties the killing to efforts to keep Garrison from revealing details of the staged-collision operation. Prosecutors contend that participants intentionally caused crashes, filed false insurance claims and pursued fraudulent lawsuits while taking steps to hide their conduct from law enforcement and the courts. Alfortish and Parker have denied the criminal charges.
The murder case is the latest major proceeding in a federal investigation that has produced charges against 63 defendants. Authorities say the collision scheme stretched back more than a decade and involved drivers, passengers, recruiters, attorneys and others. In some crashes, prosecutors allege a person intentionally struck a commercial vehicle and then left the scene while another participant falsely claimed to have been driving. Other participants allegedly acted as witnesses and blamed the commercial vehicle before fraudulent claims or lawsuits were filed.
Ryan J. Harris, another participant described by prosecutors as a slammer, pleaded guilty in January 2025 and admitted aiding and abetting Garrison’s killing. Harris also admitted taking part in the staged-collision fraud scheme. His plea agreement called for a 35-year prison sentence. Fox 8 reported that Harris is among the potential witnesses who could testify in the Alfortish and Parker trial.
The case follows the March convictions of New Orleans personal injury attorneys Vanessa Motta and Jason Giles in a related staged-collision trial. A federal jury found Motta and Giles guilty of charges that included conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, obstruction of justice and witness tampering. Their law firms also were convicted on charges arising from the investigation. That earlier trial focused heavily on the alleged fraud and efforts to conceal it, while the trial beginning Monday is expected to center more closely on Garrison’s death.
Federal prosecutors have also alleged that Alfortish, who had been disbarred, continued acting in an attorney-like role and helped advance parts of the staged-crash scheme. The indictment says people connected to the operation tried to prevent participants from cooperating with investigators and interfere with civil proceedings that could expose the alleged fraud. Those allegations will be among the issues jurors may hear as prosecutors seek to establish a connection between the collision scheme and Garrison’s killing.
Jury selection is expected to draw residents from the 13 parishes surrounding Lake Pontchartrain. Once a panel is seated, prosecutors and defense attorneys are expected to present competing accounts of the evidence surrounding Garrison’s death and the defendants’ alleged roles. No verdict has been reached, and Alfortish and Parker are presumed innocent unless proved guilty at trial.
Author note: Last updated August 10, 2026.