42-year-old Julio Cesar Murilo-Acre is heading to federal prison after getting nearly seven years jail sentence on Monday, October 5th, for a fatal boating accident. The incident happened off the coast of Imperial Beach, in southern San Diego County, California.

According to the U.S Attorney’s Office, the man was trying to smuggle illegal immigrants with a panga boat that capsized and killed two people. The accident report showed that the incident happened on February 3rd, and the defendant pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

Murilo-Acre would spend 78 months in prison for the victims’ death and an additional five-month for violating the terms of his supervised release. The latter is for a different maritime alien smuggling conviction from last year.

Court documents revealed that border control spotted the boat in the early hours of February 3rd after experiencing engine trouble about 150 yards off the coast. The prosecutors said that the vessel became inoperable, and the defendant dove into the water after asking his passengers not to identify him as the captain.

A massive wave capsized the boat throwing its six occupants into the water. Four swam to shore while the victims, Ramon Ponce-Rodriquez and Modesto Rodriquez-Ballesteros, didn’t. The first man died upon arriving at the hospital, while the second passed away on February 4th.

The survivors told the prosecutors that Murilo-Acre abandoned them even after informing him that some people on board the vessel could not swim. U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer described the accident as another tragedy that should not have happened. He added that the defendant’s desire to enrich his bank accounts led to the tragic loss of life.

Disclaimer: The Accident News article you just read includes information obtained from numerous sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, websites and press releases from law enforcement, the county coroner, fire departments, and other news outlets. While we strive to provide readers with the most accurate information, sometimes the information received is not entirely accurate. For complete details, please refer to an official police report.

The articles published contain sensitive subject matter that may be hard to read by some. We understand that losing a loved one is hard and devastating. Accident News’s decision to share the stories is to help others who may be facing the same situations by providing appropriate resources to the general public.

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