The tugboat captain who in 2025 was steering the barge that crashed into a sailboat on Biscayne Bay near Miami Beach, killing three girls, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Tuesday afternoon.
U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra’s sentence exceeded the 12-month prison term recommended under a plea agreement reached last July between prosecution and defense attorneys. Becerra stated that Yusiel Lopez Insua’s actions on the day of the crash were too egregious to justify a lighter sentence.
“Yusiel respects and accepts the 18-month sentence imposed today,” defense attorney Walter Reynoso said.
Investigators said that several errors led to the deadly crash on July 28, 2025. Evidence presented showed that Lopez Insua’s view was obstructed by a deckhouse and that he failed to post a lookout. The judge likened his conduct to driving a Mack truck down Interstate 95 unable to see ahead while expecting everyone else to get out of the way.
The tugboat captain, Yusiel Lopez Insua, pleaded guilty, and the prosecutors, the defense, and the families of the victims all agreed on a sentence.
The charge of seaman’s manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. But Insua’s attorney told CBS News Miami that the captain did not want to drag the families through a brutal trial. That’s why he said Insua changed his plea to guilty and took the deal.
Investigators said Insua’s view was obstructed by a crane on the barge he was operating in July 2025, and he didn’t assign a lookout. They said he was also shopping online at the time of the crash. Reasons why he didn’t see the sailboat with five campers and a 19-year-old counselor trying to wave him down.
Mila Yankelevich, 7, Arielle Buchman, 10, and Erin Ko, 13, were killed when the barge struck their sailboat.
Insua’s attorney spoke to CBS News Miami soon after he changed his plea to guilty.
“Yusiel is profoundly sorry. He accepts responsibility for the conduct that caused this heart-wrenching, life-altering tragedy,” Reynoso said.
Family members of the victims were present in the courtroom for the sentencing. They declined to address the court or reporters following the hearing. Several family members wept inside the courtroom as Lopez Insua apologized directly to them through an interpreter. Members of Lopez Insua’s family were also emotional.
The judge granted a defense request allowing Lopez Insua to assist a family member with medical appointments prior to reporting to prison on Dec. 10. He will be required to wear a GPS tracking device until that date.