Crew members sentenced in failed bid to sink ship
Two men who admitted roles in a botched attempt to sink a fishing boat of the coast of Cape May, N.J. to collect insurance money were sentenced federal prison Tuesday.
Erik James of Goshen and Christopher Martin of Wildwood both received 30-month terms. The men, who are both 40 years old, were former crew members on the Alexander II fishing boat.
The U.S. Attorney's Office has said the pair and three other defendants -- including the ship's owner -- sought $400,000 in insurance money. They took the boat to a point about 86 miles southeast of Cape May and tried unsuccessfully to sink it, after falsifying the ship's log.
James and Martin had both pleaded guilty to complaints charging them with conspiracy to destroy the boat on the high seas.
