Distracted Driver Who Killed 2 Gets 1 Year in Jail

By Brett Snider, Esq.

A Northern California man has been sentenced to a year in jail for a distracted-driving crash that killed two women in March.

Nicholas Tognozzi, 30, of Rohnert Park, pleaded no contest to two felony gross vehicular manslaughter charges in August, reports San Francisco’s KPIX-TV. The charges stemmed from allegations that Tognozzi was checking a cell-phone text message moments before his SUV rear-ended into the victims’ car, killing them both.

How did Tognozzi get such a light sentence?

Sentence Includes Probation, Jail Time

Pleading “no contest” typically means that you will accept the punishment for your crime, but you do not admit guilt or present any defense. For most intents and purposes, it is similar to pleading guilty to a crime, and a no contest plea will largely be regarded as similar to any other conviction.

Tognozzi pleaded no contest to the charges against him, and the sentence he accepted included:

• One year in jail,


• 300 hours of community service,


• 18 months of probation, and


• Credit for time served.

Tognozzi had already spent …read more

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