CA Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison for Second Round of False Distress Calls
The Californian -
Kurtis Thorsted, 53, of Salinas was sentenced Monday to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay $102,298.11 in restitution for issuing a false distress message to the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Attorney’s office in San Jose announced today.
Thorsted pleaded guilty on July 6, 2009, to knowingly and willfully communicating a false distress message to the U.S. Coast Guard on Oct. 6, 2008. Authorities say he broadcast “Mayday Mayday” and said he was in a kayak off the coast of Santa Cruz having difficulty getting back to shore when he was actually not in a kayak, not in the water and in no danger. Thorsted further pleaded guilty on Oct. 26, 2009, to issuing false distress messages to the Coast Guard on two other occasions, and for operating a radio without a license on three separate occasions. The court found that Thorsted broadcast 51 false distress messages over a six-month time period, costing $102,298.11 in search-related losses, and that these calls constituted a conscious and reckless risk of death or serious bodily injury. The court also found that the defendant was a risk to public safety and his actions warranted an upward departure from the federal sentencing guidelines.
“This sentence demonstrates the seriousness of Mr. Thorsted’s actions,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello said. “Maritime safety is not a game. By pretending to be in harm’s way, Mr. Thorsted wasted the time, energy and resources of the United States Coast Guard. My office will not tolerate this crime and will continue to prosecute, to the fullest extent of the law, those individuals who make false distress signals.”
In 2004, Thorsted was convicted of one count of communicating a false distress message to the United States Coast Guard, in violation of 14 U.S.C. § 88(c); one count of making a material false statement to an Agency of the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §1001(a)(2); and one count of making an unlicensed radio transmission, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 301 and 501. He was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment.
The latest sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Ronald M. Whyte following guilty pleas on three counts in violation of knowingly and willfully communicating a false distress message to the United States Coast Guard, in violation of 14 U.S.C. § 88(c); and three counts of making an unlicensed radio transmission, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 301 and 501. Judge Whyte also sentenced the defendant to a three-year period of supervised release. The defendant began serving the sentence immediately.
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