https://www.wesh.com/article/miguel-aguasvivas-lizardo-seminole-county-carjacking/65664396

Miguel Aguasvivas Lazardo was sentenced to seven years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering after his estranged wife, Katherine Aguasvivas, was killed in a carjacking in Seminole County in 2024.

His lawyer argued that Aguasvivas Lazardo had nothing to do with his wife's murder, but prosecutors and the judge said he put her in harm's way and deserved a lengthy prison sentence.

The family of Aguasvivas Lazardo said nothing as they walked out of the federal courthouse after the sentencing.

Prosecutors requested the seven-year sentence after Aguasvivas Lazardo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Investigators said he was a courier collecting money for a Colombian drug cartel. In April last year, he sent Katherine Aguasvivas to pick up $170,000 in cash in Seminole County.

After she got the money, she was carjacked, a crime caught on video by another driver.

Katherine Aguasvivas' body was later found in her burned-out SUV.

Investigators said she was killed by the people she got the money from, who plotted to rob her and take it back.

Aguasvivas Lazardo's lawyer asked the judge to give him 41 months in prison, saying he was a victim too because his wife was killed.

He also said Aguasvivas Lazardo was just a money mule and not deeply involved in the cartel. His family was hoping he could get out sooner to be with his young children.

"They were very upset about the sentence. The wife that got murdered was also very close to them," the lawyer said.

In a filing, the lawyer also noted, "It is very likely that Mr. Aguasvivas will be deported back to Dominican Republic because of his conviction."

However, while sentencing Aguasvivas Lazardo to seven years in prison, the judge said he should have known he was sending his wife into danger.

His lawyer plans to appeal the sentence.