Miami real estate broker faces new charge in deadly 2022 Labor Day boat crash – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports
MIAMI (WSVN) – Prosecutors have charged Miami real estate broker George Pino with manslaughter for a 2022 Labor Day weekend boat crash that resulted in the death of a teenage girl and injuries to several others, according to court records.
Pino, 54, was already charged with vessel homicide in the death of 17-year-old Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez, a senior at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy.
The new manslaughter charge, filed Thursday, alleges Pino acted with “culpable negligence” that caused her death. Both charges carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
The Sept. 4, 2022, crash in Biscayne Bay left Fernandez fatally injured and seriously harmed her classmate, Katerina “Katy” Puig, now 20, who remains in a wheelchair and is still working to regain basic motor skills.
Testimony from several teenage girls who were on the boat reportedly prompted prosecutors to add the new charge.
Pino’s boat had been carrying 14 people, including Pino, his wife, and 12 teenage girls celebrating his daughter’s birthday.
Three girls were pulled from the water unconscious, including Fernandez, Puig and Isabella Rodriguez, then 16, who suffered a brain bleed but recovered.
Pino is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 15.
Pino’s Attorney, Howard Srebnick, issued the following statement:
“The newly-filed charge-nearly three years after the crash and no additional evidence to support it-is duplicative of existing allegations. None of passengers on the boat have described Mr. Pino as having operated the vessel negligently, much less recklessly. He was not speeding nor driving erratically. We will move to dismiss this unwarranted, redundant accusation that does not bring clarity or justice; it only deepens public misunderstanding, fuels a false narrative that ignores the facts, and unfairly portrays Mr. Pino in the court of public opinion. As we have said all along, this was a tragic accident, not a crime.”
Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.
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