BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — The former owner of a Connecticut marina was sentenced Monday to two years of probation and fined $45,000 for intentionally sinking abandoned boats in Long Island Sound.
John Magness, 72, of Bristol, Maine, pleaded guilty last November to a federal charge of obstructing navigable waters by sinking a vessel.
Magness was in the process of selling the Bluefish Cove Marina in Bridgeport in 2018 when he made a deal with an employee and another man to scuttle several sailboats and motorboats that had been abandoned at the marina, prosecutors said.
Investigators discovered that at least five boats were sunk between Black Rock Harbor and the Pennfield Reef Lighthouse at Magness’ request between October 2018 and April 2019, prosecutors said.
The two other men involved, Peter Albrecht, of Norwalk, and Carlos Santos, of Westbrook, each previously pleaded guilty to the same charge and were each sentenced to a year of probation.
Prosecutors said Magness agreed to forgive Santos’ unpaid dockage fees in exchange for his help sinking the vessels.
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