Sean Ludwick received a three- to nine-year prison sentence Wednesday in New York State Supreme Court in Central Islip.
In 2015, the developer, who had been drinking, crashed his car into a utility pole in Sag Harbor. He left the scene of the accident, leaving his injured passenger, Douglas Elliman broker Paul Hansen, on the side of the road to die.
He pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a fatal accident in August.
During the sentencing, Ludwick heard from his victim’s family, according to Newsday.
“Nothing else apparently mattered to you, except yourself,” Hansen’s brother, Robert Hansen, said to him in court. “I’m an optimist. I hope that during your incarceration you find your way to become a better human being. But I am also a realist.”
“I was shocked that my brother would associate with someone like you,” Hansen’s twin sister added. “You had no compassion. Total arrogance. You don’t have a compassionate gene in your body.”
She noted that, in a way, it was a blessing that his “arrogance got the better of [him],” referring to his arrest after allegedly attempting to flee to Venezuela.
In response, Ludwick offered an apology.
“I take responsibility for causing your brother’s, your family member’s, death,” Ludwick said. “I don’t want to make excuses. I own the problem.” [Newsday] – Christopher Cameron