MIAMI – The owner and captain of a scuba charter boat in South Florida have been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for lying to the US Coast Guard and fraudulently obtaining a Covid-19 relief fund.
US District Judge Irene M. Cannon sentenced Dustin Sean McCabe, 50, to 100 months in prison. This cited the term of office beyond the guidelines of a federal ruling – his “reckless conduct” and the “terrifying circumstances” surrounding the death of the victim. The federal ju judge found McCabe guilty on Seaman’s manslaughter charge in March 2025, making false statements to the Coast Guard and committing PPP loan fraud.
Prosecutors said McCabe bought the 48-foot vessel in early March 2020, naming it Southern Comfort and misdeclared it for recreational use in Coast Guard documents. Instead, he equips it himself for a paid scuba diving charter. On March 28, 2020, McCabe paid passengers during the trip despite serious mechanical issues. The propellers are unexpectedly attractive, the loss of steering, the running boats are running in the Roun. In one instance, the diver was nearly drawn into the rotating propeller, but survived injuries.
The next day, without reporting the incident, warning passengers, or repairing the boat, McCabe executed another charter. While boarding after the dive, the same propeller malfunctioned, pulling the woman and her spouse there. The woman was killed. McCabe was later banned from operating Southern comfort.
A few months after the fatal incident, McCabe applied for and received two payroll protection program loans. He claimed that his scuba business is still operating. He submitted fake payroll and tax documents to secure funds, then submitted for forgiveness of the loan.
The Coast Guard Research Service Southeast Field Office led the investigation with support from the U.S. Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Delaminated Lake Worth and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee. The case was indicted by Assistant US Attorney Zachary A. Keller, Special Assistant to the US Coast Guard Tanner Steele, and Assistant to the US Attorney Jacob Kowsky.
