FBI alleges Miami developer Sergio Pino hired crews to kill his estranged wife

MIAMI — When a SWAT team descended on Miami developer Sergio Pino’s home Tuesday morning in an operation that resulted in Pino’s death, they were attempting to search his Cocoplum residence and arrest him in a murder-for-hire plot, according to law enforcement officials.

The FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office alleged in a news conference Wednesday that Pino had hired two separate crews to kill his estranged wife, Tatiana Pino, amid a contentious divorce. In total, nine people have been arrested in connection with the alleged murder-for-hire plots, the officials said.

One of those crews, which allegedly attempted to shoot Tatiana Pino last month, was given an instruction: Kill her before the next divorce hearing, with a $150,000 bonus if the murder didn’t connect back to Sergio Pino.

Tatiana Pino had detailed a series of threatening incidents in recent years. Threats made against her and her sister, including arson and a hit-and-run, led to the arrests of four of the defendants, including one of Sergio Pino’s household employees, earlier this year.

Sergio Pino, the founder of Century Homebuilders Group and a high-profile Miami-Dade County builder and political donor for decades, had denied any involvement in the incidents involving his wife.

Sergio Pino died at some point Tuesday morning as FBI agents arrived at his Cocoplum home as part of a “search and arrest” operation in the case.

Between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., several loud bangs were heard from the police perimeter, though it was not clear what has happening — the home was out of view from the police line. Around 10 a.m., Coral Gables Fire Rescue vehicles arrived, and they left about 30 minutes later. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner told the Miami Herald that Pino was pronounced dead at 10:19 a.m.

Around 2 p.m., the FBI released a statement on the “search and arrest” operation that involved going to two locations: Pino’s residence and another home in Cutler Bay, where a man was arrested.

Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Veltri said the FBI Miami SWAT team attempted to call out to any occupants of Pino’s home. According to the statement, when no one came out, agents entered the home and found Pino dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, alone in an upstairs bedroom.

Tatiana Pino had filed for divorce in April 2022 after 30 years of marriage. The couple’s divorce proceedings were ongoing at the time of Sergio Pino’s death.

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