ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Federal prosecutor Michael Gallagher on Monday pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter in the March 2006 death of a 23-year-old woman.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Coty Hastings was a passenger in a Chevrolet Tahoe that overturned after it was rear-ended by Gallagher. Hastings was ejected from the SUV. She died two days later at Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center.

The crash occurred on Ponte Vedra Boulevard one night as Gallagher, an assistant U.S. attorney for 17 years, was leaving the Players Championship. According to the FHP, Gallagher's BMW was going at least 80 mph at the time of the crash.

Gallagher was not injured in the crash and. Hastings' fiancé, Thomas Flitter, of Lexington, S.C., who was driving the SUV, suffered only minor injuries.

The plea came as attorneys, the judge and potential jurors gathered at the St. Johns County Courthouse for the first day of jury selection for Gallagher's trial.

Gallagher left the courtroom without comment, but his attorney, Hank Coxe, said he did not want to put Hastings' family or his own through any more pain.

"Any family that has gone through what we have gone through for the last year and a half is thankful that the system finally did work," said the victim's father, Ronald Hastings. "My wife and daughter will never be the same."

Sentencing was set for Oct. 4. Gallagher could face up to 15 years in prison.

The U.S. Attorney's Office told Channel 4 that Gallagher has remained on restricted duty with the justice department during the legal process. Now that Gallagher has pleaded guilty, his employment status will be reviewed, a spokesman said.