11:52 AM PT -- Tina Tintor's family released a statement following Wednesday's hearing ... saying, "Today, like every day, we remember Tina and Max, and how they were taken from us that fateful night. No sentence will ever bring Tina and Max back, but we hope that everyone learns from this preventable incident so that no other families suffer like we do."
"We appreciate the efforts of the district attorney’s office to overcome the issues caused by the initial investigation, and we look forward to putting this behind us so that we can focus on honoring the memories of Tina and Max."
Henry Ruggs will officially be sentenced to 3-to-10 years behind bars later this summer ... after a judge formally accepted his plea deal on Wednesday morning.
The former Las Vegas Raiders star appeared in court to enter guilty pleas to one felony count of a DUI resulting in death and one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter after reaching an agreement with officials earlier this month.
As part of the deal, prosecutors agreed to drop the rest of the ex-football player's charges stemming from his November 2021 car crash.
The judge asked Ruggs -- who was wearing a navy suit with a blue tie -- several questions during the proceedings ... before she ultimately accepted the parameters of the agreement.
Ruggs will now learn whether it'll be closer to three or 10 years in prison at a sentencing hearing on August 9.
As we previously reported, Ruggs had been facing more than 50 years behind bars after prosecutors had initially hit him with five total charges following allegations he drunkenly slammed his Corvette into the back of Tina Tintor's Rav4 ... killing her and her dog.
They alleged at the time that Ruggs had traveled 156 MPH just before the crash with a BAC of .161.
Ruggs' attorneys, David Z. Chesnoff and Richard A. Schonfeld said last week when the 24-year-old first agreed to the plea deal that it all was "a fair resolution to this matter."
Clark County district attorney Steven B. Wolfson said of the ruling Wednesday, "This outcome accomplished our three most important goals: (1) convict Henry Ruggs of the strictest charge allowed by Nevada law for drunk driving; (2) send Henry Ruggs to prison; and (3) eliminate his ability to appeal his conviction and prison sentence."
Wolfson added, "Tina's family members are the most important people in this process, and I met with them several times before reaching this resolution."
Originally Published -- 9:39 AM PT