An Italian speedboat captain was handed a light punishment in the fatal crash that killed prominent “Harry Potter” publishing house executive Adrienne Vaughan off the Amalfi Coast of Italy.
Skipper Elio Persico was sentenced to four years and nine months in jail after requesting a plea bargain with a Salerno judge on Friday, CBS News reported.
The 32-year-old faced culpable manslaughter and negligent injury charges for allegedly operating the vessel, sailing 15 knots, while drunk and high on cocaine.
Vaughan, the president of Bloomsbury USA publishing house, was on board the vessel with her husband and two young children when the watercraft smashed into the 130-foot sailing ship “Tortuga” on Aug. 3, 2024.
The 45-year-old New Jersey resident was sunbathing on the front of the 30-foot boat when she was launched off on impact and landed between the hulls of the two vessels and was fatally struck by the speedboat’s propeller.
Persico, who sustained injuries to his ribs and pelvis, tested positive for cocaine and alcohol after the crash.
Authorities found traces of cocaine in Persico’s blood, but did not reveal the level of intoxication of the boat operator.
Video from aboard the “Tortuga” captured swimsuit-clad wedding party guests dancing to the Backstreet Boys’ “Everybody” at the moment of impact.
“What happened?” one woman asked, as a horrified-sounding man replied: “This ship collided with us!”
About 70 revelers and crew members were aboard the larger ship.
A bartender making cocktails for guests recalled the chaotic moments right before the crash.
“The sailboat was going straight ahead and so was the [motor]boat,” Pietro Iuzzolino told Italian newspaper Corriere del Mezzogiorno. “Then suddenly [the motorboat] veered 180 degrees: there was a collision and I heard a very loud bang.”
Iuzzolino believed Persico was intoxicated after watching the boat captain vomit following the crash.
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Vaughan was rescued from the water and taken to shore, where first responders fought to save her life by performing CPR, but she was pronounced dead before she was taken to a hospital.
Vaughan’s husband, Mike White, was injured in the crash and had surgery on his collarbone.
The couple’s children – Leanna, 14, and Mason, 11 – were not physically harmed but treated for shock.
White claimed Persico was distracted by his phone on the ill-fated trip.
“He was always on the phone,” White told authorities, according to Il Messaggero.
Vaughan’s family paid tribute to her following her death.
“Adrienne’s death has devastated our family. She was a beloved mother, wife, daughter, sister, niece, and dear friend and colleague to many,” White told The Post. “Her absence from our lives and the terrible circumstances of her death are impossible to comprehend.”
The family had arrived for their Italian vacation earlier in the week, stopping at landmarks all over Rome, including the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, according to photos shared by White less than 24 hours before the tragedy.
Bloomsbury USA, best known for publishing the Harry Potter book series, remembered Vaughan after her death.
“Adrienne Vaughan was a leader of dazzling talent and infectious passion and had a deep commitment to authors and readers,” board chair Julia Reidhead and president and CEO Maria A. Pallante said in a joint statement, according to CBS. “Most of all she was an extraordinary human being, and those of us who had the opportunity to work with her will be forever fortunate.”
