George Pino faces murder charges in boating accident that killed teen – NBC 6 South Florida

A well-known South Florida real estate developer now faces murder charges in connection with a 2022 boat accident near Boca Chita Key that left one teenager dead and another permanently disabled.

Miami-Dade prosecutors are charging George Pino with vehicular manslaughter/reckless conduct in the Sept. 4, 2022, crash, according to court documents filed Wednesday.

The new charge is a second-degree felony that carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

According to prosecutors and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials, Pino, 54, was piloting the 29-foot-long vessel with 14 passengers on board when he crashed into a channel marker near Boca Chita Key. The boat capsized and all passengers were thrown into the water.

The crash killed 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez, a senior at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami, and injured most of the passengers on the boat, including Katerina Puig, who was 18 at the time and permanently disabled .

Katerina Puig, one of the teenagers seriously injured in a boat accident in September 2022, received her high school diploma from the Academy of Our Lady of Lourdes. NBC6's Laura Rodriguez reports

Pino was initially charged with misdemeanors including negligent boating.

According to an incident report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 61 empty alcohol bottles and cans, an empty champagne bottle and a half-drunk bottle of liquor were found on the boat, but no one admitted to consuming alcohol.

Pino refused a breathalyzer test after the accident, authorities said. Authorities also initially said that Pino was not impaired by drugs or alcohol while driving the boat.

The FWC incident report said Pino “negligently operated his vessel, violating four rules of navigation.” The boat was traveling between 45 and 47 miles per hour, which the FWC said was a cause of the crash.

Pino pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges last year.

Charges have been filed against the operator of a boat following an accident near Boca Chita Key over Labor Day weekend that killed a high school student. NBC6's Niko Clemmons reports

A lawyer representing Pino's family issued a statement after the initial charges were announced.

“The FWC and the District Attorney’s Office have conclusively confirmed that this was not an alcohol-related accident. Multiple witnesses observed another boat creating a particularly large wake, resulting in a loss of control,” the statement said. “George and Cecilia Pino are devastated by the death of Lucy and the serious injuries to Katy and others. The Pinos have already pledged their savings to compensate and provide medical assistance to all the victims of this terrible accident. They continue to pray every day for every person and family that was involved.”

Puig's parents filed a lawsuit against Pino and his wife Cecilia Pino, accusing George Pino of drinking alcohol before the accident and claiming that he and his wife gave alcohol to the teenagers on the boat.

The lawsuit was settled earlier this year for $16 million.

The Puig family responded to the new charges against Pino in a statement on Thursday.

“The Puig family is grateful for the State's continued efforts to prosecute Mr. Pino for his reckless operation of his vessel while transporting twelve teenage girls, which resulted in the death of Lucy Fernandez,” the statement said.