A suspected staged crash led investigators from the Louisiana State Police Insurance Fraud and Auto Theft Unit (IFAT) Breaux Bridge Field Office to a $10 million dollar scheme to defraud insurance companies.

Justin Ledet, of Rayne, Steven Thomas, of Lafayette, and Alfred Onezine, of Breaux Bridge, were arrested as a result of the scheme.

The investigation began after troopers received a criminal complaint from the Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI), following a report from a trucking company which suspected fraudulent activity related to a crash that occurred on January 19, 2025, in Lafayette Parish.

Investigating Troopers determined that Ledet, Thomas, and Onezine conspired to stage a crash at the intersection of Willow Street and Teurlings Drive in Lafayette. Ledet, while operating the company’s truck, intentionally struck the rear of a Chevrolet Silverado driven by Thomas, who was accompanied by Onezine and three juvenile passengers.

Following the crash, all five occupants of the Silverado filed insurance claims against the trucking company, seeking a combined potential fraud amount of approximately ten million dollars in damages.

“At a time when Louisiana drivers are already paying the highest auto rates in the nation, these men put three children in harm’s way to try and make a quick buck off our insurance system and the citizens who pay into it,” said Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple. “My thanks go out to the LDI Fraud team for their good work in identifying this staged accident scheme and to State Police for their thorough investigation and successful arrests. The LDI and our law enforcement partners remain committed to aggressively pursuing those who commit these types of insurance crimes.”