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Nine months after the tragic suicide of Cuban-American real estate businessman Sergio Pino, two of the accused in an alleged criminal conspiracy orchestrated by the millionaire to eliminate his wife have pleaded guilty in federal court.
The case, which has shaken the Miami community due to its judicial, personal, and economic implications, revolves around an alleged network organized by Pino to intimidate, harass, and even murder his wife, Tatiana Pino, amid a divorce process involving a fortune exceeding 165 million dollars.
Guilty pleas and cooperation with the FBI
This Wednesday, Avery Bivins, 37, and Michael Dulfo, 43, admitted their involvement in the conspiracy to intimidate Tatiana Pino, as revealed by Telemundo 51.
A source close to the process revealed that both reached agreements with the prosecution, which involve their active cooperation in the investigation, particularly against other parties who have not yet accepted guilt.
The sentencing hearing for Bivins and Dulfo has been scheduled for July 8.
One of the key elements in the accusation against the defendants was a controlled video call made by Bivins to the co-defendant Fausto Villar, a former prison mate.
In the recording, presented as evidence before the court, Villar describes how his benefactor - identified by the FBI as Sergio Pino - became agitated upon learning that several of the accomplices had been arrested.
That conversation was decisive: hours later, the FBI carried out an operation to arrest Villar and Pino. While Villar was captured, Sergio took his own life upon noticing the presence of agents at his home.
A fortune in dispute and a tragedy foretold
The legal conflict between Sergio Pino and his wife Tatiana escalated to scandalous proportions when one of the parties revealed that she had rejected a $20 million offer as part of the divorce negotiations.
Court documents estimate that the total assets, including properties and trusts, could exceed 165 million.
Part of these assets were reorganized or modified by Sergio in the last months—or even days—of his life, which has led to an intense legal battle over the inheritance rights of Tatiana.
In parallel to the civil litigation, a criminal investigation led by the FBI was underway, which culminated in a series of arrests and the tragic outcome of Sergio Pino himself, who committed suicide with a gunshot to the head when federal agents arrived at his residence for a search
The criminal network: Intimidation, assassination attempts, and poison
The federal indictment states that Sergio Pino organized two criminal groups with the aim of intimidating or even eliminating his wife.
One of them was led by Fausto Villar, a former convict for armed robbery, who worked as a roofer on the family home. According to authorities, Villar told Bivins that Sergio was willing to pay up to $300,000 for the murder of Tatiana.
The other group, according to the FBI, was organized by Bayron Bennett, an employee of the Pino family's yacht, and allegedly attempted to use poisons, including opioids like fentanyl, to carry out the crime.
Michael Dulfo is said to be linked to this group and is accused of participating in multiple acts of intimidation: he allegedly set fire to the cars of Tatiana's sister and rammed into her vehicle when she was returning from a divorce hearing in Pinecrest in August 2023.
One of the most alarming episodes occurred in June 2024, when Tatiana was confronted by an armed man at the entrance of her home.
Although the attacker did not fire, he did threaten one of the couple's daughters by pointing a gun at her before fleeing the scene.
Vernon Green, another of the accused, has been identified as the alleged perpetrator of this failed murder attempt. Green has a criminal record for attempted murder and armed robbery.
Possible sentences and legal consequences
In total, nine men are involved in the case, several of whom are facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, a crime that could result in life imprisonment under the U.S. federal system.
Among them are Villar, Bennett, Bivins, Green, and at least two other individuals from the group led by Villar.
The duration of the sentences will depend on factors such as the severity of the individual actions, cooperation with the authorities, and criminal records. Meanwhile, the case continues its course both in the criminal realm and in the civil dispute over Sergio Pino's millionaire estate.
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