Sentencing For Fatal Drunken, High-Speed Nassau Crash: Nassau DA

MINEOLA, NY — A Hicksville man has been sentenced to five to 12 years in prison for a 2022 high-speed crash that killed a man, prosecutors said.

Oscar Argueta, 37, pleaded guilty on Nov. 30 to aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault and driving while intoxicated.

"Oscar Argueta’s reckless actions on the morning of June 26, 2022, forever changed a family, ripping away a devoted husband and father to two young children and leaving a hole in the hearts of countless family members and friends who loved him,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. "David Popoola’s wife was also seriously injured when Argueta – drunk and speeding – crashed into the couple’s vehicle and she continues to recover from those debilitating injuries.

While traveling through the streets of Hempstead during the overnight hours of June 26, 2022, Argueta was drunken driving at a speed of 93 miles per hour when his Dodge Durango T-boned a Mercedes Benz G300, Donnelly said.

The victim’s vehicle struck a curb causing the car to flip into a utility pole. David Popoola, 48, a passenger, and his wife, were trapped inside the vehicle after the collision. Popoola died at the scene.

His wife was rushed into emergency surgery.

The Nassau County D.A. office recommended a sentence of seven to 21 years in prison.

"We will continue to prosecute these cases thoroughly and hold drunk drivers accountable for their selfish choices," Donnelly said.