Fox News Flash top headlines for July 13
Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.
A boat captain who rammed a U.S. Coast Guard vessel off Southern California after smuggling a dozen people into the country was sentenced Wednesday to five years in federal prison.
Jesus Jeovanny Alcaraz-Valdez was sentenced in San Diego for the December 2022 incident by a judge who called his actions "extremely reckless and extremely troubling," the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement.
Alcaraz piloted a panga boat — a small, fishing-style vessel often used by human smugglers — to illegally bring an estimated 12 people into the United States from Mexico, prosecutors said.
The immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala paid up to $24,000 each for the trip, authorities said.
The boat brought them before dawn near the coast off the San Diego seaside suburb of Coronado, where Alcaraz told them to take off their life jackets and enter waist-deep surf even though some couldn't swim, the U.S. attorney's office said.
Jesus Alcaraz-Valdez was sentenced to five years for assault and human smuggling in California. (Fox News)
Eight people were taken into custody by the U.S. Border Patrol. Four others escaped.
The boat was then seen heading back out to sea towards Mexico. When a Coast Guard vessel tried to stop it, Alcaraz rammed the boat twice, shattering a window and causing minor back and neck injuries to all four people aboard, authorities said.
Alcaraz was arrested after Coast Guard gunshots disabled the panga's engine.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He pleaded guilty to assault and human smuggling in March.
"Maritime smuggling is extremely dangerous and puts the lives of the passengers being smuggled, and the law enforcement officers safeguarding our borders, at serious risk," U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in a statement.
True Crime
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.
