Well many fishing boats seemed to have went down in the Southern California waters during 2016. Some people were suspicious, others worried.
Now, in 2017, the truth comes out regarding the sport fishing vessel, The Commander.
Two men pleaded guilty to insurance fraud by trying to sink the boat. Mark Gillette, who is 37, and Christopher Switzer, who is 39 attempted to flood the boat in hopes that it would sink on October 11th near Dana point.
The two will have to refund the $15,000 dollar rescue fee as well.
It is a tough pill to swallow now knowing this was purposely caused. Many hoped it wasn't so.
The other boats in 2016 that had issues were:
- The Maximus south of the border, sank. Everyone was rescued.
- The Invicta crashed into the Coronado Islands with over 20 people onboard. Everyone was rescued.
2016 was a great El Nino year for tuna fishing off San Diego, but a not so great year for some of these boats.
