Elderly San Francisco Mercedes driver, 80, gets no prison time for slamming into young family of four and killing them

Mary Fong Lau, is now she’s trying to shift her assets to avoid civil payouts

Lau, 80, pled no contest to 4 counts of manslaughter after crushing Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, his wife Matilde Ramos Pinto, and their children Joaquim and Cauê, two years ago

The family had been waiting for the bus to go to the San Francisco Zoo for their wedding anniversary in March 2024

Lau’s Mercedes hit them at around 70mph in a residential neighborhood with a 40mph limit

80-year-old driver who should was facing a minimum 60 years, instead was handed two years of probation and 200 hours of community service

San Francisco Superior Court Judge, Bruce Chan, cited Lau’s age, lack of criminal record and remorse as factors in his decision **The deceased couple’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Lau in June 2024

The parents have accused Lau of transferring properties to new limited liability companies, selling them to third parties, possibly amounting to millions of dollars

They filed a second civil suit in May 2025 to void any financial transfers she may have made in light of the civil claims

Elderly San Francisco driver Mary Fong Lau pled no contest to crushing Apple executive Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, his wife Matilde Ramos Pinto, and their two children Joaquim and Cauê [photo], in March 2024

A San Francisco woman has walked out free from a California courthouse after wiping out a young San Francisco family when she slamming her Mercedes SUV into the family of four as they waited at a bus stop in the West Portal neighborhood, two years ago. 
Mary Fong Lau, 80, was handed a sentence of six days in jail, two years of probation and 200 hours of community service after the crash that killed Apple executive Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, 40, his wife Matilde Ramos Pinto, 38, and their two children Joaquim, 20 months, and three-month-old Cauê, in March of 2024.
The jail sentence is the number of days she’s already served. There will be no additional time.
San Francisco Superior Court Judge, Bruce Chan, cites Lau’s age, lack of criminal record and remorse had as factor in reaching his decision to spare the octogenarian actual time behind bars. 
Chan added that the high profile case against Lau and her poor health could make her a target of other inmates if imprisoned. 

Looking at 60 years in prison following conviction on four counts of manslaughter, Mary Fong Lau, [photo], 80, Friday was handed two years of probation and 200 hours of community service with the judge citing her age, health and lack of a criminal record

The family of four had been waiting for the bus to go to the San Francisco Zoo for their wedding anniversary when Lau’s Mercedes hit them at around 70mph in a residential neighborhood with a 40mph limit. 
The parents of Oliveira and Pinto filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Lau in June 2024, followed by another civil suit in May 2025, to void any financial transfers she may have made in light of the civil claims.
They have accused Lau of transferring properties to new limited liability companies and selling them to third parties, possibly amounting to millions of dollars.
As part of the discovery in the the fresh suit, the plaintiffs alleged that Lau transferred her stake in three properties in August 2024, two months after the initial civil suit was filed. A day later the suit claims, she transferred her stake to two newly formed Nevada limited liability companies,
Ultimately Lau pled no contest to four felony counts of vehicular manslaughter, each punishable by up to 15 years behind bars. 
As part of her sentencing, Lau was also banned from driving for three years. Her attorney Seth Morris, confirmed his client does not intend to drive again.  

Lau has been accused of changing her story over the fatal crash. Initially she claimed she accidentally hit the accelerator. Further on she told investigators her car malfunctioned 

She had pled no contest to four felony counts of vehicular manslaughter, each punishable by up to 15 years behind bars 

At the crash scene Lau reportedly, told witnesses at the scene that she was trying to park when she accidentally hit the accelerator.
Interviewed later by police while receiving at the hospital, she claimed her car malfunctioned before she plowed into the bus shelter where the family of four was standing.
However, investigators concluded her SUV had no issues that could have led to the crash of the vehicle which cops said was traveling at an estimated 66 to 75 mph in a 40 mile zone.
Diego and Joaquin were killed at the scene while Matilde and Cauê succumbed to injuries in hospital. 
Other people waiting for the bus to arrive were also injured in the crash and received medical attention.

One-year-old Joaquin, [photo], was killed at the scene along with his father, when Mary Fong Lau crashed into the bus shelter where his family was waiting for a bus in San Francisco. His brother and mom died at the hospital

Her address at Friday’s hearing was the first time that Lau had ever addressed the friends and family of the victims as she told them: ‘I want to say to your family sorry.’
Jim Quadra, an attorney representing the victim’s family in the civil case, noted that Lau: ‘Doesn’t have home detention – she doesn’t have any restriction of her freedom. 
‘She just has to ask permission to maybe travel out of state, it’s minimal in the consequences.
‘They asked her for 200 hours of community service that rounds up to about five weeks,’ Quadra queried. 
‘Five weeks of undefined community service which could mean whatever. We don’t know what for – taking four lives. 
‘That is what we have and that is just not fair,’ said the attorney. ‘That is not justice and doesn’t give anything to the family to make them feel that they were heard.’