'Miami Vice' Charter Owner Pleads Guilty In Passenger Death

MIAMI BEACH, FL — A part-owner of the 91-foot "Miami Vice" charter boat has pleaded guilty to criminal misconduct or neglect of a ship officer following the Easter Sunday boating death of a 25-year-old passenger. Laurent Marc-Antoine Jean Maubert-Cayla was arrested by federal agents stemming from the death of Raul Menendez, whose body was found a day later.

The guilty plea was announced Wednesday by U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan in Miami, Special Agent in Charge Zinnia P. James and Major Alfredo Escanio, Regional Commander of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement for the South B Region.

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"Maubert-Cayla offered the yacht for charters on a website and employed Capt. Mauricio Alvarez to drive the yacht during charters from approximately November of 2017 until April of 2018," according to federal prosecutors.

Maubert-Cayla, who is originally from France, is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Federico A. Moreno at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 10.

Alvarez also pleaded guilty to misconduct or neglect of a ship officer that resulted in the death of Menendez, who was swimming near the boat, according to prosecutors.

"The Miami Vice charter operation was illegal because, among other reasons, Alvarez did not have a valid U.S. Coast Guard license," federal prosecutors said, adding that Alvarez received a March 2018 ticket from the Coast Guard for operating a charter without an "appropriate" Coast Guard license.

Alvarez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga at 9 a.m. on Nov. 28.

Prosecutors said that the part owner of the vessel was aware that Alvarez posed a risk.

"Maubert-Cayla knew that Alvarez was heavily using cocaine and alcohol during the period he served as captain on board the 'Miami Vice' and had filmed Alvarez using cocaine as recently as March 29, 2018," prosecutors explained.

Ernesto Rodriguez of the Miami Beach Police Department told Patch at the time of the incident that the department's Marine Patrol Dive Team assisted with the investigation. First responders from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue also assisted in the search for Menendez.

The incident occurred at 4:42 p.m. just off Monument Island. There were nine people who had been sailing on the vessel over the holiday, including seven passengers, Alvarez and Andres Tarcisio, who acted as a mate. Menendez is referred to in court documents only as R.M.P.

"Maubert-Cayla chartered the "Miami Vice" to a group of individuals, who met and paid Maubert-Cayla at the Sea Isle Marina," according to prosecutors. "The "Miami Vice" then left the Sea Isle Marina with Alvarez acting as captain. Alvarez drove the yacht at a high rate of speed and beached it on Monument Island, where the charter patrons, including victim R.M.P., began to swim."

Prosecutors said that Alvarez decided to leave the island without first checking that all of the passengers were back on board before doing so.

"Alvarez started the yacht’s 4500 horsepower engines and accelerated them in reverse, directly to where victim R.M.P. was swimming," prosecutors charged. "R.M.P. was caught in the "Miami Vice’s propellers and killed."

Other passengers on the charter included Anthony Acosta, Nicole Marie Urbay, Maria Ashley McKenzie, Barrington Michael Oliver Wright, Yinelis Yisvel Martos and Cesar Meneses.

According to its online listing, the Miami Vice could be chartered for $5,000 per night. The listing said that the vessel held up to 16 guests.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Marcet and Coast Guard Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phil Jones and Emily Rose.

Photo By Paul Scicchitano