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Miami Boat Accident Acquittal: George Pino Found Not Guilty
Miami real estate developer George Pino was acquitted of all charges related to a 2022 boat accident that killed a teenager and permanently disabled another.
Miami real estate developer George Pino was acquitted of charges related to a September 2022 boat accident in Biscayne Bay that killed a teenager and permanently disabled another.
The jury on Monday acquitted Pino of second-degree murder and manslaughter by boat charges. The crash killed 17-year-old Lucy Fernandez and left Katy Puig with lifelong injuries.
The verdict came after an emotional eight-day trial in South Florida. Prosecutors argued Pino acted recklessly when his boat hit a channel marker during the 2022 Labor Day weekend, while the defense maintained the collision was an accident.
Defense and prosecution statements
Defense attorney Howard Srebnick said in a statement after the verdict, "We are grateful that the jurors carefully considered the evidence and reached a fair decision." Srebnick said, "From the beginning, we argued that the events of September 4, 2022, were a tragic accident, not a crime. The testimony presented at trial—including the uncontroverted statements of eyewitnesses who saw no signs of impairment—confirmed that Mr. Pino was not under the influence, did not operate the boat recklessly, and did everything he could to protect his passengers after the crash."
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle, who prosecuted the case, expressed disappointment with the verdict but accepted the jury's decision. Fernandez-Rundle said, "While everyone in our community and beyond recognizes the tragedy of Lucy Fernandez's death and Katy Puig's permanent disability, my prosecutors and I believed that the totality of George Pino's actions on the waters of Biscayne Bay was reckless and constituted a crime as defined by Florida's criminal statutes."
Accident details
On September 4, 2022, Pino and his wife were celebrating their daughter's birthday on their boat. According to the investigation, Pino hit a channel marker near Boca Chita Key while turning the family's 29-foot boat toward the dock. Pino told investigators that another boat passed by and created a large wave, and when he turned around to check on the teenagers after the wave, he collided with the marker.
Everyone on board was thrown into the water by the impact. The collision also tore a large hole in the side of the boat. Of the 14 passengers, 11 were injured and six were hospitalized. Fernandez died from her injuries, while Puig suffered a traumatic brain injury, leaving her permanently disabled.
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