Limo company owner gets 5 to 15 years for 2018 crash that killed 20 in New York

May 31 (UPI) -- The owner of an N.Y. state limousine company was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison Wednesday in a 2018 crash that killed 20 in upstate New York.

Nauman Hussain was convicted on 20 counts of second-degree manslaughter earlier this month.

On Oct. 6, 2018, a 31-foot stretch limousine operated by Hussain's company, Prestige Limousine, crashed into an SUV in Schoharie, N.Y., after running a stop sign. All 18 occupants of the limousine were killed, along with two pedestrians.

After the tragedy, it was revealed that the limousine had failed a prior inspection and that the driver didn't have a commercial driver's license.

The National Transportation and Safety Board found that one of the limousine's brakes was not functional at the time of the crash.

In court, prosecutors said Hussain "chose profit over people," and that he was aware the limousine had faulty brakes.

Hussain's conviction was complicated by a plea deal that was ultimately reversed.

Hussain pleaded guilty to 20 charges of criminally negligent manslaughter in 2021, as part of a plea deal that would have seen him avoid incarceration. The plea deal was thrown out when state Supreme Court Judge Peter Lynch took over the case.

Hussain's lawyer has indicated that he plans to appeal the sentence.