A Rochester man has been ordered to pay $15,442 in restitution after being convicted in U.S. District Court in Buffalo of making a materially false statement involving a sunken vessel.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who handled the case, stated that on August 25, 2022, Migitskiy towed a 25-foot Bayliner boat onto Lake Ontario with the intention of sinking the abandoned vessel. Migitskiy intentionally sunk the vessel without reporting his actions. The following day, on August 26, 2022, the partially submerged boat was discovered by civilian witnesses who reported the sinking to the United States Coast Guard, which resulted in an immediate search and rescue effort by the Coast Guard, the New York State Police, and other law enforcement agencies which included the deployment of surface vessels, aircraft, and SCUBA search teams. The United States Coast Guard spent $14,194 during the search and rescue effort, while the New York State Police spent $1,248.
On October 4, 2022, Migitskiy was interviewed by a Special Agent with the United States Coast Guard, during which he falsely stated that he had donated the boat to unnamed individuals. Migitskiy further provided a false description of the individuals who took possession of the vessel, false information on how they removed the vessel from his property, and false information on what they did with the vessels’ trailer.
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