MIAMI – A federal jury in Fort Pierce has found Dustin Sean McCabe, 49, from Ocala, Florida, guilty of seaman’s manslaughter, lying to the Coast Guard, and committing fraud related to Covid-19 relief funds.
In early March 2020, McCabe bought a 48-foot boat named Southern Comfort. He lied on Coast Guard forms, saying he would use the boat for recreation when he actually planned to run paid scuba diving trips. To do this, he made changes to the boat, including removing important controls.
On March 28, 2020, McCabe took customers on a scuba diving trip. During the trip, the boat had serious mechanical issues, including a propeller that activated unexpectedly and a loss of steering. A diver almost got pulled into the propeller while boarding the boat…