SAN DIEGO—A federal judge on July 13 sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for coordinating a smuggling trip in which two dozen migrants were stacked into a Ford Expedition that crashed into a tractor-trailer, killing 13 people outside a California desert town.
Jose Cruz Noguez pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges stemming from the March 2, 2021, crash near Holtville, about 125 miles east of San Diego. It was one of the deadliest highway crashes involving migrants smuggled into the United States.
Mr. Cruz Noguez also admitted to trying to still get payment for the smuggling trip from the survivors, prosecutors said. Neither Mr. Cruz Noguez nor his attorney could be reached for comment….