Palmetto man pleads guilty to federal charges in disposal of body at sea
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PALMETTO, Fla. (WWSB) - A Palmetto man has pleaded guilty to federal charges after prosecutors said he disposed of a deceased person’s body in the ocean.Matthew Edward Zoladz, 37, pleaded guilty to violating two federal laws involving pollution at sea, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.He faces up to 15 years in federal prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2027.Sarasota man sentenced to 20 years in 2023 fatal motorcycle crashCourt documents cited by prosecutors say Zoladz and the victim used drugs together on or about Dec. 7, 2022. Prosecutors said the victim overdosed and died.Zoladz then drove with the victim’s unconscious or deceased body in the front seat of his vehicle and took a video of the person, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.The next day, Zoladz was scheduled to work as a deckhand on a vessel, prosecutors said. Before the vessel left, he put the victim’s body in a plastic trash bag and loaded it onto the boat.Late