Miami Real Estate Broker Pleads Not Guilty in Deadly Vessel Crash, Families Frustrated
Miami real estate broker George Pino has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor careless boating charges in connection to a tragic vessel crash that occurred last year. The crash resulted in the death of 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez and left another teenager, Katerina Puig, permanently disabled. Pino’s plea has prompted criticism from both families, who believe that the outcome of the year-long investigation and the conclusion that alcohol played no role in the incident is unjustified.
Despite the discovery of more than 60 empty alcohol containers on Pino’s vessel the day after the crash, the state agency involved in the investigation concluded that alcohol was not a factor. Pino’s attorney, Howard Srebnick, entered the not guilty plea on behalf of his client during a hearing in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court. Srebnick did not provide a comment on the plea.
The families of the victims, however, express their frustration with Pino’s refusal to accept responsibility for the tragic incident. Ivan Cabrera, the attorney representing Katerina Puig’s parents, states that the not guilty plea only prolongs the legal proceedings and adds insult to injury. He contends that the charges brought against Pino amount to a mere slap on the wrist and that any other citizen would have faced more severe charges like DUI manslaughter, which carries a mandatory prison sentence.
Pino is scheduled to appear in court on September 19th to answer the charges brought against him. Meanwhile, Luciana Fernandez’s parents declined to comment on Pino’s plea. The Puig family filed a lawsuit in March, alleging that Pino and his wife supplied alcohol to the teenagers onboard their boat on the day of the crash. The Pinos, however, deny these allegations.
Further scrutiny arose when body camera footage from an investigator seemingly contradicted the reason why Pino declined to provide a blood sample for alcohol testing on the night of the crash. While Pino claimed that his attorney’s absence prevented him from agreeing to the blood test, the footage revealed that he admitted to consuming two beers when asked to submit the sample. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, maintaining that Pino showed no obvious signs of impairment after the crash, justified their decision not to compel him to undergo testing.
Prosecutors at the Miami-Dade State Attorney‘s Office charged Pino with the misdemeanors recommended by Fish and Wildlife based on the police report, rather than pursuing stronger charges. The investigation conducted by Fish and Wildlife found no witnesses or GPS data to corroborate Pino’s claim that another boat caused him to lose control and collide with a fixed channel marker.
The vessel crash occurred while Pino was returning to his part-time home in Key Largo after celebrating his daughter’s 18th birthday with friends on Elliott Key in Biscayne Bay. There were a total of 11 of the daughter’s friends on board, including Luciana Fernandez and Katerina Puig. The impact caused all occupants to be thrown into the water, and nearby boaters assisted in rescuing them. Luciana Fernandez was subsequently pronounced dead, while Katerina Puig suffered severe injuries that necessitate ongoing medical care.
As the legal proceedings continue, the families of the victims express their disappointment with the investigation’s outcome and the charges brought against George Pino. They believe that justice has not been served and are left to cope with the loss of a loved one and the devastating impact on Katerina Puig’s life.
