A federal judge sentenced tugboat captain Yusiel Lopez Insua to 18 months in prison Tuesday for his role in a Biscayne Bay collision that killed three girls in July 2025. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra imposed the sentence after the 47-year-old pleaded guilty to seaman’s manslaughter under a plea agreement. She ordered him to surrender within 60 days. The crash happened July 28, 2025, when a 25-foot tugboat captained by Lopez Insua was pushing a 108-foot barge that struck a sailboat. The collision killed Mila Yankelevich, 7; Arielle Buchman, 10; and Erin Ko, 13. Prosecutors said Lopez Insua was using his cellphone to shop online while operating the tugboat. They said he failed to assign a lookout and did not follow basic maritime safety rules. In July, U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said Lopez Insua admitted those failures caused the collision. Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of 12 months and one day in prison, followed by six months of house arrest. The barge’s hull submerged the sailboat. A 19-year-old Miami Youth Sailing Foundation camp counselor and two campers survived; one of the girls was hospitalized. The U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service worked on the case. Lopez Insua was represented by attorney Walter A. Reynoso.