officials are investigating Miami millionaire’s alleged conspiracy Police say he killed his estranged wife several times over several years by hiring hitmen and poisoning her with fentanyl.
Pinecrest Police Department Chief Jason Cohen told Fox News Digital, “I’ve been in law enforcement for 27 years, and it kind of…it seemed like something out of a Hollywood movie, but unfortunately it was real life.”
On June 23, 26-year-old Alessandra Pino called 911 and said someone had just pointed the gun When his mother was coming on the way to their house.
“Oh my God. My mom’s here,” she said to the operator. According to the Miami Herald. “They might have shot him.”
Sergio and Tatiana Pino smiling in an undated photo. Sergio reportedly hired hit men several times to murder his wife. (Ellen Palladino Photography)
was part of an armed ambush murder-for-hire conspiracy The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office said at a news conference last month that Alessandra’s father, Miami developer Sergio Pino, had hatched a plot against his estranged wife Tatiana Pino.
“(Tatiana) came home from her morning errands and as soon as she got to the street, this guy stopped and got out of the car with a gun,” Cohen said. “His daughter actually came out of the house and got face to face with this gunman who obviously was not there for the daughter because as far as I understand, he had the ability to shoot her if he wanted to , and he didn’t.”
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Tatiana survived an attempt on her life by driving her car into the backyard and honking her horn to get her daughter’s attention. When the daughter came outside, the man allegedly pointed a gun at her, but no shots were fired and ultimately no one was hurt, according to charging documents.
“The man ran away as our officers began to respond, and he was not able to do what we believed he was there to do that day,” Cohen said. “We think he probably came there to take her, Tatiana’s life.”
The gunman later charged in the June 23 attack was named Vernon Green, 53.
Sergio Pino, who federal investigators say tried multiple times to kill his estranged wife, Tatiana Pino, was found dead of suicide in his home in July. (online obituary)
The June incident was not the first time Tatiana Pino was targeted. According to federal authorities, she was repeatedly stalked and tried to poison herself by several suspects allegedly hired by her husband.
A year earlier, someone had hit his SUV with a rented Home Depot truck in the same driveway.
“She came home from being out, and when she stopped in her tracks, a Home Depot flatbed rental truck was parked across the street and waiting for her. And as she came in, it hit her vehicle and proceeded Got out,” Cohen said.
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Pinecrest police responded, Cohen said, and that’s when his department became involved in the investigation.
“It was brought to our attention that this incident here was probably much more than just someone bumping into someone on their way home,” he said. “We were told a lot about the background of what was going on with Mrs. Pino, the accusations of her potentially being poisoned or drugged by her ex-husband… It started to make sense that this was Just another piece of that bigger puzzle.”
In July, just weeks after Alessandra’s 911 call, Sergio was found dead of suicide in his home. the FBI said at the time. The statement confirmed that Sergio was being investigated in an alleged murder-for-hire plot. A Miami real estate developer shot himself in the bedroom of his coastal Coral Gables mansion.
“It appears he saw it coming down. He probably thought he was going to be accused of it,” Cohen told Fox News Digital. “It certainly, in my opinion, speaks to someone with a guilty conscience, but just to me. law enforcement “A 27-year veteran’s opinion.”
Sergio Pino was a Miami developer before he took his own life amid a murder-for-hire investigation. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Green is one of nine people alleged to have been involved in the plots hatched by Pino. Six of these men have been charged with murder-for-hire and the rest for their alleged role in the stalking and arson of Tatiana and her family.
Byron Bennett, 33, Fausto Villar, 42, Avery Bivins, 36, Clementa Johnson, 47, Diori Bernard, 47, Jaren Keith Howard, 38, Michael Jose Dulfo, 42, and Edner Etienne 27, have been charged and convicted for their respective involvement in the campaign of stalking, torture and attempted murder of Tatiana Pino. US Attorney’s Office announced In a statement. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The plot to kill Tatiana Pino began as early as July 2022, U.S. Attorney Marquenzie LaPoint said at a press conference, adding that the hit men also “bought fentanyl to assist Pino in attempting to kill his wife.” Received.”
The Pinos were married for over 30 years before Tatiana filed for divorce in April 2022 because she suspected Sergio had poisoned her.
“Mrs. Pino had to die before her next divorce proceeding,” LaPointe said.
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Cohen told Fox News Digital that although Sergio is no longer alive, police keep an eye on Tatiana’s home “at least a few times a day” during the ongoing investigation.
“We have what’s called a watch list … officials will do an external investigation to make sure nothing seems out of the ordinary,” Cohen said. “That will continue in the near future because, you know, there are still a lot of open and moving parts.”
Pino’s criminal defense attorney criticized law enforcement in a statement on the day of his death.
Sam Rabin said, “Sergio Pino took his life today.” “The level of law enforcement activity at his residence was unprecedented and unnecessary, especially since we had offered him to surrender if it became necessary. Today’s events mark a very sad end to an investigation that we There was confidence that we could successfully defend. There were many rumors and allegations, but what was lacking was proof.”
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Until his death, Pino denied any involvement in the events against his estranged wife.
“We had a true victim. We had a poor woman in our town who was targeted for murder,” Cohen told Fox News Digital. “With a little bit of luck and maybe a little more force, they didn’t succeed because the opportunity was certainly there.”
