MIAMI – Prominent real estate broker George Pino appeared in court Wednesday via Zoom after being charged with felony vessel homicide related to a boating accident that claimed the life of a young passenger more than two years ago.
He was ordered to surrender by Nov. 21 by a Miami-Dade County judge.
Authorities said Pino, then 52, was behind the wheel of a 29-foot Robalo boat in the early evening hours of Sept. 4 when he lost control and slammed it into a channel marker near Boca Chita Key, killing Lucy Fernandez and seriously injuring 17-year-old Katerina Puig and another victim whose name has not been disclosed.
At the time, Pino, his teenage daughter, her friends, and his wife were celebrating a birthday on the water, according to investigators.
Pino told detectives he lost control of the vessel after hitting a wave, stating, “The wheel turned a little bit and I lost full control and I think I turned.”
Pino initially faced three second-degree misdemeanor charges, but prosecutors have since escalated the charge to felony vessel homicide.
While investigators reported they did not believe alcohol was a factor, Pino declined a voluntary blood draw after admitting to drinking two beers earlier in the evening.
In May, a judge ordered Pino’s wife to pay $16 million to Puig’s family as part of a lawsuit settlement.
If found guilty, Pino could face up to 15 years in prison.