The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Florida Attorney General's Office revealed on Wednesday the details of the chilling plot of Cuban-American businessman Sergio Pino to allegedly murder his wife, Tatiana Pino, in the midst of a tumultuous divorce process she had initiated since April 2022.
Federal Prosecutor Markenzy Lapointe disclosed in a press conference -cited by local media- the details of the investigation, which culminated in the suicide of Sergio Pino on Tuesday morning at his seaside mansion in Coral Gables, as the FBI attempted to conduct a search at the residence and serve him with a court order related to accusations of attempted murder against his wife.
This is a case about a husband, Mr. Pino, who decided after years of marriage that he was going to kill his wife," Lapointe began the chilling explanation of the case to the press.
Lapointe revealed that the plan unfolded over more than two years and said that Pino was seeking to eliminate his wife before the divorce became final, in order to retain the entirety of his fortune.
According to Lapointe, Pino hired two different teams to carry out the assassination of his wife.
A total of nine people have been arrested in connection with the case, and four of them have already been formally charged.
In the second group, to which money had been transferred for his work, is Fausto Villar, a convicted criminal who worked as a roofer for Pino and who has already been accused.
Another implicated individual is Bayron Bennent, an assistant on a yacht owned by Pino, who they point out as the alleged person responsible for obtaining fentanyl that Pino would have used in an attempt to poison his wife.
The reports indicate that one of the teams received instructions to carry out the murder before the next divorce hearing, with the promise of a bonus of 150 thousand dollars if they managed to prevent the crime from being connected to the real estate businessman.
The various failed methods employed by the conspirators included an attempt at poisoning with fentanyl, various forms of harassment, and a failed attempt to run over with a rented van.
According to the investigations, the climax came in June of this year when a group of hitmen followed Tatiana Pino to her home, where one of them attempted to shoot her without success.
Later, the adult daughter of the couple was threatened with a weapon, although the attacker decided not to shoot since his main target was Tatiana.
The investigation, involving the FBI and local police, revealed that Pino had agreed to pay the exorbitant sum of 300,000 dollars -delivered in two parts- for the murder of his wife.
The authorities said that evidence was found that part of the money was transferred, although they did not reveal details about the senders or recipients.
The suicide of Sergio Pino.
The tragic outcome occurred on Tuesday, when FBI agents attempted to arrest Sergio Pino at his residence.
Faced with imminent arrest, Pino took his own life by shooting himself in a bedroom of his home, after the special tactics team knocked on the door and eventually entered the residence.
Sam Rabin, one of Sergio Pino's lawyers, strongly criticized the police operation.
"The level of police activity at his residence was unprecedented and unnecessary, especially because we had offered to hand him over on several occasions if necessary," he indicated.
The lawyer added that the events on Tuesday mark a very tragic end to an investigation they were confident they could successfully defend.
"Many rumors and accusations were circulating, but what was lacking were pieces of evidence of irregularities on the part of Mr. Pino," he alleged.
The authorities stated that they are continuing to investigate the case to clarify all the details and bring those responsible to justice.
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