Judge sentences man to 15 years for arranging smuggling trip that ended with crash killing 13 people

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.