LAFAYETTE PARISH, La. — A joint investigation by the Louisiana State Police and the Louisiana Department of Insurance has resulted in the arrests of three men accused of organizing a staged vehicle crash in Lafayette Parish earlier this year.
The probe began on March 25, after a trucking company reported suspicious circumstances following a January 19 crash at Willow Street and Teurlings Drive. The Insurance Fraud and Auto Theft Unit (IFAT), based in Breaux Bridge, took over the investigation.
Authorities say Justin Ledet, 45, of Rayne, was driving a company truck that allegedly struck the rear of a Chevrolet Silverado driven by Steven Thomas, 38, of Lafayette. Inside the Silverado were Alfred Onezine, 37, of Breaux Bridge, and three juvenile passengers.
All five occupants filed insurance claims totaling nearly $10 million in potential fraud.
Ledet and Thomas were arrested on May 2 and charged with violating Louisiana’s insurance fraud statute (LA R.S. 22:1925). They were booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center.
Onezine was later arrested on May 29 on a warrant. He faces three counts of cruelty to juveniles, four counts of insurance fraud, and resisting an officer. He was booked into the St. Martin Parish Jail.
Officials voiced strong condemnation:
“This kind of fraud puts lives at risk and raises costs for everyone,” said Colonel Robert Hodges, Superintendent of the Louisiana State Police.
“Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple added: “These men put three children in danger to try and game the system. Louisiana drivers are already paying the highest auto insurance rates in the country—we won’t tolerate this kind of fraud.”
The investigation remains ongoing. Authorities urge the public to report suspected insurance fraud via lsp.org/ifu or ldi.la.gov.
