Semi-Truck Driver Sentenced for Involuntary Manslaughter
PUEBLO OF LAGUNA – Florida Man Alexis Riego was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison, and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine for involuntary manslaughter on Interstate 40 in the Laguna Pueblo. According to court records, Riego caused the crash that was responsible for the deaths of four people and injuries of two people in 2019 while he was driving a semi-truck and not paying attention to the road.
The United States Department of Justice used this case to make an example of truck drivers who operate heavy machinery while distracted. “The impact of Mr. Riego’s reckless decisions and actions will remain for a long time,” said Raul Bujanda, FBI Special Agent in Charge. “I would like to commend our partners at the Laguna Police Department, New Mexico State Police, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for working with us to investigate this crime and bringing justice to the victims and their loved ones.”
According to court documents, Riego was travelling westbound on Interstate 40 during the day of September 7. This was a period of serious construction and a very deadly summer on the interstate from Albuquerque to Grants, N.M. Riego was on video chat app Facetime, speaking with his wife. He took his eyes off the road before he crashed into stationary traffic waiting to get through a constructions zone.
The resulting accident killed four people and seriously injured two others. Riego was mostly fine from the accident, which Laguna Police Department and New Mexico State Police were first to respond to. Because the crash occurred on tribal land, and LPD was the first to respond, the case became federal jurisdiction and the Federal Bureau of Investigation took over.
The accident caused Interstate 40 to be closed for several hours. During this time, investigators were able to get information from Riego before reading him his Miranda Rights, which remind criminal suspects that they have a right to legal counsel and the right to remain silent. Because of this, the court process was dragged on with Riego’s lawyers trying to get those statements dismissed. The judge ruled that the statements were improperly taken, but that it wouldn’t affect the search warrant for the electronic logs and cargo of the truck because there were enough eyewitness accounts to justify the warrant.
Investigators found that Riego was travelling between 65 and 70 miles per hour, and he took his eyes off the road for “about one minute” according to court documents, when the crash occurred. Riego hit his brakes, but by the time he did it was too late. The crash created a six-car pileup.
“When we take the wheel, we take on a collective responsibility for the families who share our highways,” said U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez, who prosecuted this case. “The consequences for failing in that responsibility are grave and irrevocable. This conviction is a sobering reminder that a moment on video chat can forever change your life, and end the lives of others.”
Attorney Uballez prosecuted this case with assistance from the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, Laguna Police Department, and New Mexico State Police’s investigative work.