Limo service manager convicted of manslaughter in 2018 crash that killed 20 people
A limousine service manager was convicted of manslaughter Wednesday in one of the deadliest U.S. road wrecks of the past two decades. Nauman Hussain ran Prestige Limousine when a stretch limo packed with revelers for a woman's 30th birthday party went off the road after the vehicle's brakes failed in upstate New York in 2018, killing 20 people.
Hussain faces the possibility of up to 15 years in prison at his May 31 sentencing. He looked disappointed upon hearing the verdict.
Applause could be heard in the audience as the jury was discharged.
Prosecutors said that Hussain intentionally failed to conduct required, routine state inspections on the stretch-style 2001 Ford Excursion, and that the checks would have revealed brake defects and prevented the wreck.
The heavy limo hit a parked car and trees before coming to rest in a streambed in Schoharie, a village west of Albany. Seventeen passengers, the driver and two bystanders were killed.
Hussain's lawyer, Lee Kindlon, said that his client had been misled by a repair shop. The shop wasn't criminally charged and denied it was at fault.
Jurors reached their verdict during their second day of deliberations. The conviction marked a turning point on an emotional rollercoaster for the victims' families. After pandemic-related delays in the criminal case, the relatives were exasperated by the 2021 announcement of a plea deal that would have spared Hussain prison time.
In a surprising twist last fall, a judge rejected the deal, leading to the trial a few miles down the road from the accident site. During the trial, jurors heard from witnesses including a former manager of the repair shop, people who saw the wreck, and a state Department of Transportation inspector who flagged the SUV-style limousine for violations long before the crash. The defense called no witnesses.
