Los Angeles, California - A California judge on Thursday has sentenced a man to 212 years in prison for drowning his two sons in an insurance scheme worth more than $260,000.

Ali F. Elmezayen (45) drove a car with his wife and two sons inside into the San Pedro Bay in April 2015, according to CNN.

Leaving his window open, Elmezayen was able to escape the vehicle. His ex-wife, Rabab Diab, only survived because a fisherman rescued her.

The sons, 13-year-old Elhassan and 8-year-old Abdelkrim, both drowned. The couple's children had autism, according to a news release from the Justice Department.

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Judge John F. Walter deemed Elmezayen’s act "evil and diabolical," adding that "the only regret that the defendant has is that he got caught."

Investigators found out that the murder of his two sons was part of an insurance scheme by Elmezayen. Two years ahead of driving his kids to death, he bought more than $3 million worth of life and accidental death insurance policies from eight different companies, the release said.

After purchasing the policies, Elmezayen reportedly called the insurance companies repeatedly to ensure his insurance was valid and they would pay benefits if his ex-wife accidentally died.

Elmezayen crashed the car into the water 12 days before his insurance policies would have expired.

"Elmezayen then collected more than $260,000 in insurance proceeds from Mutual of Omaha Life Insurance and American General Life Insurance on the accidental death insurance policies he had taken out on the children’s lives," the release read.

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He reportedly invested some of the money in real estate in Egypt and a boat.

Elmezayen was arrested in November 2018, and has remained in federal custody since, according to the release.