Sergio Pino’s widow and his brother sat on opposite sides of a downtown Miami courtroom as their attorneys argued over who should oversee the late Pino’s estate.
“He is the last person this court should appoint,” said Tatiana Pino’s lawyer, Glen Waldman, referring to Sergio Pino’s brother, Carlos Pino. In a courtroom filled with attorneys Friday morning, Miami-Dade Circuit Probate Judge Yvonne Colodny decided she will appoint a “neutral curator” to temporarily handle the estate at a hearing set for early September.
Sergio Pino, the late founder and CEO of Coral Gables-based Century Homebuilders Group, died by suicide in July as the FBI was closing on him to arrest him for allegedly ordering the attempted murder of his wife multiple times. The estranged couple were in the midst of a contentious divorce that began in 2022 when Tatiana Pino discovered she was being poisoned with fentanyl and bath salts.
Tatiana Pino sought half of their fortune, and Sergio Pino was only offering her $20 million, court documents allege. Their estate was valued at up to $360 million during the divorce proceedings.
Sergio Pino’s death prompted a litigious fight over Century Homebuilders. Sergio’s brother produced a will from March that states Sergio Pino appointed him as the personal representative of his estate. The beneficiaries are Sergio Pino’s four adult children.
Sergio and Tatiana Pino each owned half of Century Homebuilders. Carlos Pino and Tatiana Pino are now at odds over who should run Century Homebuilders. Tatiana Pino is now listed as president of the company on its website.
Days after Sergio Pino’s death, Carlos Pino sought an emergency hearing to appoint him personal representative so that he could address “outstanding loan commitments,” personal guarantees and other issues.
Carlos Pino’s lawyer, Sergio Mendez, urged Judge Colodny to appoint Carlos Pino as the estate’s personal representative. Mendez said the ownership of Century Homebuilders Group was contested in the divorce.
Waldman, Tatiana Pino’s lawyer, argued that Sergio Pino was siphoning money to his brother during the divorce, and that there was no reason to fast-track the appointment of a personal representative. He also said that Carlos Pino had “no personal knowledge” of how Century Homebuilders was being run.
“This is not a rocket docket,” Waldman said.
The judge agreed. “The exigency has lapsed for the most part. Twenty-four days just isn’t due process,” Colodny said, referring to the number of days since Pino’s death.
She requested that both sides decide on a neutral curator, and if they can’t, to each propose three names and submit their CVs.
New details revealed
Carlos Pino owns Century Plumbing Wholesale, a company that Sergio Pino and their father started in 1977. It provides plumbing materials and millwork, such as doors, to Century Homebuilders projects. Carlos Pino also invested in some of Century Homebuilders’ projects, including Century Oasis and Century Park Square.
In a deposition recorded last week, Carlos Pino said he didn’t know the financial details of Century Homebuilders, including its sales, value and expenses, and he didn’t know the details of his investments in Century Homebuilders’ projects.
“You know nothing except you are trying to infiltrate the company,” said attorney Raymond Rafool, who represents Tatiana Pino alongside Waldman.
Century Homebuilders lists about two dozen active communities in Homestead, unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay and Florida City, according to its website. The company also has at least four communities in the planning stage. It’s completed more than 16,000 houses since it was founded in 1995.
Carlos Pino said that he spoke with some of Century Homebuilders’ leadership who left last week.
He said he did not believe his brother was trying to kill Tatiana Pino.
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One day after Pino’s committed suicide, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney said that said that Pino knew he was being investigated for previously ordering a hit on his wife and went ahead and tried again with a new group of hitmen in June. Pino would pay $150,000 in the first disbursement, and another $150,000 if the murder did not tie back to him. And Tatiana Pino would have to die before the hitmen would receive the next payment, the FBI said.
During Carlos Pino’s deposition, Rafool suggested that Carlos Pino encouraged Pedro Hernandez, vice president and COO of Century Homebuilders, and Joseline Pereira, CFO, to leave the company in exchange for helping him gain control of Century Homebuilders. Carlos Pino denied this.
The next probate hearing is set for Sept. 6.