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Authorities are investigating a Miami millionaire's alleged plot to kill his estranged wife several times over a period of years by hiring hit men and poisoning her with fentanyl, police say.
"I've been in law enforcement for 27 years, and something like this … it seemed like something out of a Hollywood movie, but this was unfortunately real life," Pinecrest Police Department Chief Jason Cohen told Fox News Digital.
On June 23, Alessandra Pino, 26, called 911 and said somebody had just pointed a gun at her as her mother was pulling into the driveway of their house.
"Oh my gosh. My mom is here," she told the operator, according to the Miami Herald. "They might have shot her."
Sergio and Tatiana Pino smile in an undated photograph. Sergio allegedly hired hit men several times to murder his wife. (Elaine Palladino Photography )
The armed ambush was part of a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by Alessandra’s father, Miami developer Sergio Pino, against his estranged wife, Tatiana Pino, the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a press conference last month.
"[Tatiana] came home from her morning errands, and as she pulled in the driveway, this person pulled up, got out of the car with a firearm," Cohen said. "Her daughter actually came out of the house and kind of went face to face with this gunman who clearly wasn't there for the daughter because he, from what I understand, he had the ability to shoot her if he wanted to, and he didn't."
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Tatiana escaped the attempt at her life by driving her car into the backyard and honking to get her daughter's attention. The man then allegedly pointed a gun at the daughter when she came out but did not shoot, and no one was ultimately harmed, according to charging documents.
"The guy ended up fleeing because our officers started responding, and he was not able to do what we believe he was there to do that day," Cohen explained. "We think he was there to likely take her life, Tatiana's life at that point."
The gunman later charged with the June 23 attack was Vernon Green, 53.
Sergio Pino, who federal investigators say tried to kill his estranged wife, Tatiana Pino, several times, was found dead by suicide in his home in July. (Online Obituary )
The June incident was not the first time that Tatiana Pino had been a target. She had been subjected to repeated attempts of stalking and poisoning by several suspects, allegedly hired by her husband, according to federal authorities.
A year earlier, someone had rammed a rented Home Depot truck into her SUV in the same driveway.
"She came home from being out, and when she pulled into her driveway, there was a Home Depot flatbed rental truck that was sitting on the street waiting for her. And as she pulled in, it kind of rammed her vehicle and took off," Cohen said.
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Pinecrest police responded, Cohen added, and that's when his department got involved in the investigation.
"It was brought to our attention that this incident here was likely much more than just somebody crashing into her while she's coming home," he said. "We were made aware of a lot of the background of what had been going on with Mrs. Pino, the accusations of her being poisoned or drugged by potentially her soon-to-be ex-husband … it started to make sense that this was just another piece in that big puzzle."
In July, just weeks after Alessandra's 911 call, Sergio was found dead by suicide in his home, the FBI said at the time. The statement confirmed Sergio was being investigated in an alleged murder-for-hire plot. The Miami real estate developer shot himself in the bedroom of his waterfront Coral Gables mansion.
"It would appear he saw it was coming down. He likely thought he was going to get charged with this," Cohen told Fox News Digital. "It definitely, in my opinion, is very telling of someone with a guilty conscience, but just my law enforcement opinion of a 27-year veteran."
Sergio Pino was a Miami developer before taking his own life amid a murder-for-hire investigation. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Green is just one of nine men allegedly involved in plots conspired by Pino. Six of these individuals have been charged with murder-for-hire and the rest for their alleged part in stalking and arsons directed at Tatiana and her family.
Bayron Bennett, 33, Fausto Villar, 42, Avery Bivins, 36, Clementa Johnson, 47, Diori Barnard, 47, Jerren Keith Howard, 38, Michael Jose Dulfo, 42, and Edner Etienne 27, have been charged and indicted for their "respective involvement in a campaign to stalk, torment and attempt to kill" Tatiana Pino, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced in a statement. If convicted, they would face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The plot to kill Tatiana Pino began as early as July 2022, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe said in a press conference, adding that the hit men even "obtained fentanyl to assist Pino in his effort to kill his wife."
The Pinos had been married for more than 30 years before Tatiana filed for divorce in April 2022 after she suspected Sergio had poisoned her.
"Mrs. Pino had to die before their next divorce proceedings," Lapointe said.
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Though Sergio is no longer alive, police continue to watch over Tatiana's house "at least a few times a day" during the ongoing investigation, Cohen told Fox News Digital.
"We have what's called a watch list … the officers will go by and just kind of do an exterior search to make sure nothing looks out of the ordinary," Cohen said. "That will continue for the foreseeable future just because there's still a lot of, you know, open and moving parts."
Pino’s criminal defense attorney criticized law enforcement in a statement on the day of his death.
"Sergio Pino took his own life today," Sam Rabin said. "The level of law enforcement activity at his residence was unprecedented and unnecessary, especially since we had offered to surrender him, should that have become necessary. Today’s events mark a very tragic ending to an investigation that we were confident we could successfully defend. There were many rumors and allegations, but what was lacking was evidence."
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Up until his death, Pino denied any involvement in the incidents against his estranged wife.
"We had a true victim. We had this poor lady here in our city that was being targeted to be murdered," Cohen told Fox News Digital. "By a little bit of luck and a little maybe higher power, they didn't succeed because the opportunity was certainly there."
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