Illegal immigrant gets less than 5 years after killing 3 in semi-truck crash in Newsom’s California

Despite being eligible for up to a decade behind bars, he was sentenced to only four years and eight months on Tuesday.

Jashanpreet Singh, 21, received a prison sentence of under five years after causing a fatal crash on a Southern California highway that left three people dead. He pleaded guilty to three felony counts of vehicular manslaughter involving gross negligence in connection with the case last week, per the New York Post.

Prosecutors said that Singh changed his plea from not guilty to guilty last month.

Singh had possessed a commercial driver’s license that was issued by California at the time of the multi-car pileup. One witness said of the crash at the time that the truck showed no signs of braking. "It didn't stop. It didn't swerve. It didn't make any kind of maneuvers. It just went straight in," Jason Calmelat said.

Following his arrest in October, federal immigration authorities placed an immigration detainer on Singh.

“The truck rolled and veered to the right into the embankment, and I saw the truck driver jump out because it was on fire,” Calmelat added.

CHP Officer Rodrigo Jimenez said of the crash, “It was one of those crashes where there were car parts everywhere. We had a hazardous material incident. It was a very large scene.”

The Trump administration's Department of Transportation placed blame on California Governor Gavin Newsom’s policies for the deadly wreck that killed three. The agency said that the state illegally upgraded Singh’s license in response to a federal law that prohibited illegal immigrants from holding a Commercial Driver’s License.

“It would have never happened if Gavin Newsom had followed our new rules. California broke the law and now three people are dead and two are hospitalized. These people deserve justice,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

Editor's Note: This story has been corrected to properly reflect the sentencing process.