CORAL GABLES, Fla. – A total of nine people are facing charges related to a murder-for-hire plot the FBI says wealthy South Florida developer Sergio Pino orchestrated with the intent of having his wife killed.
According to the FBI, Pino hired multiple crews of hitmen with contracts to kill his estranged wife, Tatiana.
The pair have been in contentious divorce proceedings since 2022.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe said when they arrived at Pino’s Coral Gables house Tuesday, agents were cleared to pick him up on a probable cause arrest.
Charges would have included conspiracy to commit murder.
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They say Pino hired two separate crews of hitmen to try and undertake the heinous crime.
Crew one, which included Bayron Bennent, hired help on Pino’s yacht, was responsible for vehicle arsons and obtained the fentanyl Pino used to poison his wife.
When that failed, they rammed her car with a flatbed truck.
After the first crew was busted, with Pino already under investigation, authorities say he was undeterred to his mission of killing his wife.
He hired a second crew, which included Fausto Villar, who did roofing work for Pino.
The contract was to shoot her to death for $150,000, with a condition that she die before the next divorce proceeding.
Villar would get another $150,000 if the murder did not connect back to Pino.
When the crime was set to take place, authorities said Tatiana was somehow able to run back inside and out walked her adult daughter.
Lapointe said the gunman decided not to shoot her because that was not what the job or contract entailed.