‘Conception’ Captain Ordered to Pay $32K to Families of Three of 34 Victims Killed in 2019 Boat Fire

Several Other Cases Are Still in Dispute; Claims for Psychological Counseling, Travel Expenses, Legal Fees, and Other Expenses Not Granted

A plaque on Santa Barbara's waterfront memorializes the names of the 34 victims of the 2019 "Conception" boat fire. | Credit: Daniel Dreifuss File Photo

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Captain Jerry Boylan of the Conception — a scuba boat that caught on fire and killed 34 people in 2019 — has been ordered to pay restitution of more than $32,000 to three of the victims’ families.

Boylan was found guilty of seaman’s manslaughter in November 2023 for his role in the deaths and was sentenced this May to four years in prison and three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution as part of the ruling.

The Plaintiffs (the United States of America) initially asked for restitution totaling more than $500,000 for funeral expenses, destroyed property on-board the boat, and “psychological counseling, travel expenses, legal fees, and other miscellaneous expenses” to be paid to 13 individuals. They also requested an unspecified amount for lost income.

Boylan’s public defender, Gabriela Rivera, argued that many of the expenses were not adequately documented, and that Boylan should only be required to pay funeral expenses with sufficient documentation.

As a result, the two parties submitted a joint report to the Honorable George Wu on July 18 with disputed and undisputed restitution amounts. In the report, both parties agreed that three individuals provided accurate documentation of the funeral expenses. They also concluded that the $443,179.04 initially requested for miscellaneous expenses does not qualify as legal restitution. However, the Defense disputed funeral expenses for three different individuals, and argued that there was insufficient documentation of property destroyed in the fire.

For now, Judge Wu has ordered Boylan to pay the undisputed $32,178.82 to three individuals for funeral expenses. Wu has requested a separate report from the Probation Office regarding the disputed expenses, which must be provided to the Court by August 22.

On Monday, Judge Wu ruled that Boylan may remain free on bail while he appeals the case. He had previously been ordered to surrender himself no later than August 8 to begin serving his prison sentence.