The owner of the vessel Stimulus Money, Richard Cruz, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty for his role in the July 2022 capsizing of the vessel
The owner of the vessel Stimulus Money, Richard Cruz, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty for his role in the July 2022 capsizing of the vessel while underway on the Hudson River that resulted in the death of two passengers, a seven-year-old boy and 48-year-old woman.
Cruz was arrested in March 2024 along with the operator of the vessel, Jaime Pinilla Gomez, and charged with one count of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer resulting in death, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Coast Guard Sector New York and the Coast Guard Investigative Service investigated the incident into suspected illegal passenger operations, finding the vessel did not possess the required Certificate of Inspection and the operator did not have the required Coast Guard-issued merchant mariner credential to operate a passenger vessel.
The Coast Guard referred the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for further consideration in potential criminal prosecution.
“My deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of those affected by this preventable accident,” said Capt. Jon Andrechik, the Captain of the Port of New York. “Vessel operator licensing and
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