Man convicted of setting up smuggling trip that killed 13 in California gets 15 years in prison
By JULIE WATSON
Associated Press
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday sentenced the man who coordinated stashing nearly two dozen migrants into a Ford Expedition that crashed into a tractor-trailer, killing 13 people. Jose Cruz Noguez was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to charges stemming from the March 2, 2021, crash near the California desert town of Holtville. It was one of the deadliest highway crashes involving migrants smuggled into the United States. Prosecutors say Cruz Noguez also admitted to trying to still get payment for the smuggling trip from the survivors.