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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced today that TROYLYNN BROWN (“BROWN”), age 35, agreed to plead guilty on December 14, 2022 to count one (1) of her indictment, charging Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.  In pleading guilty, the defendant faces a maximum penalty of five (5) years’ imprisonment; a term of supervised release of up to three (3) years; and a fine of up to $250,000.00, or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571, as well as a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. Today’s guilty plea brings the total number of defendants convicted in Operation Sideswipe to forty-four (44).

As part of her plea, BROWN admitted to conspiring to commit mail fraud in connection with a staged automobile collision. The government’s evidence showed that the defendant conspired with Roderick Hickman (“Hickman”), Herbert Allen (“Allen”), and others to intentionally collide Allen’s Chevrolet Impala with a tractor-trailer in the area of Tchoupitoulas Street and Calliope in New Orleans on June 28, 2017. BROWN later lied in her civil deposition.  She falsely claimed that Allen drove the car that collided with the tractor-trailer, when in fact Hickman drove the car and intentionally hit the tractor-trailer.

Sentencing in this matter is set for March 29, 2022 before United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance.

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