![California dive boat captain faces new federal charge in fire that killed 34](https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2022/10/19/425ece12-e9de-4751-b878-4a9dea434474/thumbnail/1200x630/e712eb9def9bf464c4933ddb60c5f39f/gettyimages-1172048837.jpg)
California dive boat captain faces new federal charge in fire that killed 34
CBSN
A federal grant jury issued a new indictment Tuesday against a dive boat captain, alleging that he acted with gross negligence when a 2019 fire aboard his vessel led to the deaths of 34 people off the Southern California coast.
The new indictment comes more than a month after a judge threw out the original case because it failed to specify that Captain Jerry Boylan acted with gross negligence aboard the Conception during one of the deadliest maritime disasters in recent U.S. history.
Boylan, 68, is again charged with a single count of misconduct or neglect of ship officer, a pre-Civil War statute colloquially known as "seaman's manslaughter" that was designed to hold steamboat captains and crew responsible for maritime disasters. He faces 10 years in prison and is expected to be arraigned in the coming weeks. His federal public defenders did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday.
![](/newspic/picid-6252001-20250216030556.jpg)
This story previously aired on Feb. 10, 2024. It was updated on Feb. 15, 2025. AMIE HARWICK (video): You can seek therapy to address an issue like depression, anxiety, a breakup. You can also seek therapy to be a better you! GARETH PURSEHOUSE (voicemail): I have so much I need to say. Please give me a chance to just say it. … Please (crying) please.
![](/newspic/picid-6252001-20250216003423.jpg)
Signaling a major shift in civil rights enforcement, the federal agency that enforces workplace anti-discrimination laws has moved to dismiss six of its own cases on behalf of workers alleging gender identity discrimination, arguing that the cases now conflict with President Donald Trump's recent executive order, court documents say.