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The families of two highway workers killed by a drunken driver in 2014 are outraged that the man convicted in the deaths created a GoFundMe account to help pay the court-ordered restitution.
Jan Michael Nieves Delgado, 22, pleaded on the crowdfunding account for donations toward the $10,000 in restitution he was ordered to pay to the victims’ families.
“Back in 2014 I made a big mistake while being enlisted in the Army, ended up being kicked out unfairly and even tho I got probation since I was involved in an accident, now I have to pay $10,000 in restitution to fix all damages,” Nieves wrote on the account created in June.
He continued: “It’s been really hard to pay that much back when you have probation and it becomes so hard to find a job and then when you find a job you don’t make enough. Please help me pay back and get some weight off my shoulders.”
Nieves could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Nieves, a former soldier stationed at Fort Bliss, was sentenced by a jury to a 10-year suspended prison term after he was convicted on two counts of manslaughter May 27, 2016, in connection with the deaths of Jimmy Joe Broadstreet, 54, and James Green, 39, in 2014. The suspended sentences meant Nieves was to be on probation for 10 years.
Nieves was ordered to pay $5,000 to each of the victims’ families.
Broadstreet’s stepdaughters, Jessica Hammett and Jaque Desso, said they believe Nieves is trying to make himself the victim.
“I was speechless at first and really appalled by the nerve he had to ask for money,” Hammett said.
Desso said, “Appalled. It baffled me that he is upset that he got fired from the military. ... How he thinks it’s unfair just baffles me.”
The GoFundMe account was deleted Tuesday after several of the victims’ family members and friends discovered it and posted dozens of comments on the page. The comments stated that Nieves pleading for help was an affront to them because they struggle with the loss of their loved ones every day.
It’s unclear whether the account was deleted by Nieves or GoFundMe officials.
According to Desso, the GoFundMe account hadn’t raised any money before it was deleted this week. “In a way, I am glad he created it because now after getting no donations, he sees he can’t take the easy way out,” Desso said. “He is going to have to suffer. He is going to have to pay for what he did. No one is going to bail him out. He has to pay for it. Nobody else. It is his responsibility.”
Hammett and Desso reported the account to the El Paso County District Attorney’s Office. “The GoFundMe account is highly offensive,” District Attorney Jaime Esparza said in a statement. “It is a clear indication that he shows no remorse that his actions took 2 lives.”