The owner of a Miami-based charter yacht was charged in a death that happened on board during a trip. Laurent Marc-Antoine Jean Maubert-Cayla was charged with misconduct or neglect of a ship officer that resulted in the death. A bond hearing is set for tomorrow, according to the Miami Herald.
Court records show that Maubert-Cayla chartered his 91-foot motoryacht called Miami Vice to seven passengers April 1. According to an online listing, the yacht could be chartered for $5,000 a night. The listing said that the vessel held up to 16 guests.
“Maubert-Cayla offered the yacht for charters on a website and employed Capt. Mauricio Alvarez to drive the yacht during charters from approximately Nov. of 2017 until April of 2018,” according to federal prosecutors.
Alvarez, who has also been charged, didn’t have a U.S. captain’s license.
Prosecutors said Maubert-Cayla was aware that Alvarez was a risk. “Maubert-Cayla knew that Alvarez was heavily using cocaine and alcohol during the period he served as captain on board the Miami Vice and had filmed Alvarez using cocaine as recently as March 29, 2018,” prosecutors said in the statement.
The passenger died during when the boat was beached on Monument Island during the charter. Alvarez started the engines and, without looking abaft the boat, backed over the victim. Alvarez was arrested while attempting to the flee the country. His jury trial is expected to get start Sept. 4.
