ICE arrests man charged in fatal 2024 crash who reportedly entered US illegally

kstp.com · By Cory Knudsen · 2026-06-16T01:33:28+00:00

Federal authorities have arrested a man they say entered the country illegally who was charged in a fatal crash over two years ago.According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Georgii Gabiev, 34, on June 9 in Brooklyn, New York, and he will remain in custody pending removal proceedings.Court documents show that on March 5, 2024, a crash between a semi-truck and Ford F-350 occurred at the intersection of Highway 7 and Chippewa County Road 4 in Chippewa County, Minn.Authorities said that the driver of the semi, 59-year-old Tim Tarnowski, was going east on Highway 7, and Gabiev, who was driving the F-350, was going north on Chippewa County Road 4. Gabiev reportedly didn’t stop at a stop sign and crashed into the semi.A State Patrol trooper arrived at the scene and saw the semi-truck fully engulfed in flames, a grain trailer tipped over on its side and a flatbed trailer between the semi and grain trailer.Tarnowski was ejected from the semi and died on the scene, according to court records.While searching the F-350, the state trooper found an iPad in the vehicle that Gabiev later said was playing a YouTube video teaching him how to speak English. Gabiev claimed he was not looking at the iPad while he was driving and said he was sober at the time of the crash, the criminal complaint notes.Gabiev pleaded guilty to one count of criminal vehicular homicide and was sentenced to 69 days in jail and three years of probation.DHS said Gabiev illegally entered the United States from Russia in 2022 and was released by the Biden administration.“Although Tim will never be brought back, Gabiev’s capture will bring the justice deserved,” said Tammy Tarnowski, Tim’s widow. “Our family now has closure and we can begin the healing process needed to move forward. Our hope is that this will bring light to Angel Families and will save others from going through the heartache we have endured.” For Related Stories: Department of Homeland Security ICE Arrest Fatal Crash