Commercial real estate broker George Pino was charged with criminal misdemeanors following an investigation into a deadly boat crash last Labor Day Weekend in the Florida Keys.
Parents of one of the victims are reeling at the light charges, the Miami Herald reported. Pino, who heads Doral-based commercial real estate brokerage State Street Realty, faces two criminal misdemeanor charges of careless boating brought by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, according to the outlet.
The charges follow a nearly year-long investigation by the State Attorney’s Office and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The Labor Day Weekend crash killed 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez, and seriously injured now 18-year-old Katerina Puig. A dozen minors were on board the boat at the time, celebrating Pino’s daughter’s 18th birthday.
A suit filed by Puig’s parents in March alleged that Pino and his wife, Cecilia Pino, were drinking and serving teens alcohol on the day of the crash. They allege in the lawsuit that George Pino, who was driving the boat back to his home at Ocean Reef Club, drank to the point of impairment before striking a channel marker. An initial report by the FWC found that the crash likely did not involve alcohol, and the State Attorney’s Office stated Pino was “not impaired by drugs or alcohol,” according to the Herald.
The same week that the Puigs filed their lawsuit, the Pinos filed a “limitation of liability” in federal court, looking to minimize awards from related litigation to the value of their 29-foot Robalo boat.
The Pinos’ lawyer, Andrew Mescolotto, released a statement on Friday to the Herald saying, “The Pinos have already pledged their life savings to compensate and provide medical support for everyone affected by this horrible accident. They continue to pray every day for each person and family that was involved.”
Cecilia Pino also works in real estate as the director of public relations at State Street Realty.
Puig’s parents are “outraged” at Pino’s charges, they told the outlet. A spokesperson for Andres and Meli Fernandez, the parents of Luciana Fernandez, told the publication they are “devastated and distraught” with the findings of the investigation.
–– Kate Hinsche