Houma Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Stage Automobile Accidents

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that JOSEPH BREWTON (“BREWTON”), age 57, of Houma, Louisiana, was sentenced on September 27, 2023 in United States District Court on one count of Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.

According to court documents, BREWTON was a passenger in a staged automobile collision in August, 2015.  Thereafter, he recruited family members and friends to participate as passengers in staged automobile collisions with tractor-trailers on March 27, 2017 and May 11, 2017.  The passengers in these collisions filed fraudulent lawsuits falsely claiming that the tractor-trailers were at fault.  Through this scheme, BREWTON caused a loss of approximately $392,742.77.  

U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo sentenced BREWTON to 18 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.  BREWTON was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $554,638.73.  Judge Milazzo also imposed a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Louisiana State Police, and the Metropolitan Crime Commission with this matter.  The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria M. Carboni, Edward Rivera and Brandon S. Long of the Financial Crimes Unit as well as Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.