An organized group of con artists are raising insurance rates for Louisiana drivers, authorities say

Five people were indicted last month in a federal fraud case, accused of “staging” an accident with an 18-wheeler in New Orleans East. It was a breakthrough case, but the trucking industry believes authorities have just scratched the surface of a loosely organized group of local con artists who have plagued them for years. The U.S. Attorney’s office accused the defendants of plotting the accident in advance, intentionally side-swiping a freight truck, then filing a lawsuit claiming injuries.