Pair Gets 16 Months for Death of Cuban Refugee
MIAMI — Two men were sentenced to 16 months in federal prison for involuntary manslaughter after a Cuban refugee died aboard their crowded speedboat during a smuggling operation.
Abel Miranda-Fuentes, 21, and Jorge Nimer-Role, 27, pleaded guilty to the charge in November to avoid being charged with murder in the death of Yalina Gort, 22. They were sentenced Thursday.
Gort was among two dozen refugees aboard a 30-foot boat that raced out of Matanzas, Cuba. Coast Guard officials found Gort dead when they stopped to assist the boat May 14 about 35 miles south of Key West.
According to the autopsy report, Gort died of multiple injuries from blunt trauma caused by repeated bouncing on choppy seas.
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