On Friday, July 17, 2009, the USDOJ announced that John Joseph Cota, the pilot of the Cosco Busan was sentenced to serve ten (10) months in federal prison. The Cosco Busan, a 900-foot long container ship, collided with the San Francisco Bay Bridge and discharged approximately 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay on November 7, 2007.
Cota was sentenced according to the plea agreement in which he pleaded guilty to negligently causing discharge in violation of the CWA and of a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
The USDOJ sought incarceration because Cota was