Last August, the estranged wife of homebuilder Sergio Pino reported to police that a Home Depot semi-trailer backing up rammed into the passenger side of her dark blue BMW as she pulled into the driveway of her Pinecrest home in the middle of the day.
Investigators do not believe the crash was an accident. The rental truck, which did not have a license plate on the back, drove away after the collision, according to video surveillance at Tatiana Pino’s home.
“It was clear that this was an intentional act and not an accidental collision,” according to an FBI affidavit filed in March of this year in a criminal complaint against Bayron Bennett, a part-time employee of Sergio Pino. Court records show that Bennett told investigators he was asked to recruit individuals to commit crimes against Tatiana Pino, though the documents do not indicate whether Bennett provided a name.
FBI agents are investigating whether Sergio Pino hired Bennett to recruit a crew of men to threaten his wife’s life after she filed for divorce from him in April 2022, people familiar with the FBI investigation told the Miami Herald. While the FBI affidavit does not name Sergio Pino or his wife Tatiana, Bennett is described as “hired help” who arranged food and beverage services for the homebuilder for excursions on his yacht.
Bennett and three other Miami-Dade men, Michael Dulfo, Edner Etienne and Jerren Howard, have been charged with stalking Pino’s wife in connection with the collision at her home. Bennett, Dulfo and Howard are also charged with a racketeering-related offense and arson targeting three vehicles belonging to Tatiana Pino’s sister.
The four suspects will be tried in Miami federal court at the end of August. Their attorneys did not respond to questions from the Herald or declined to comment.
Sergio Pino’s attorney, Sam Rabin, said they are aware of the prosecutions of the four men and the ongoing investigation by the FBI, which raided the builder’s waterfront home and business in Coral Gables on Monday night.
Read more: FBI investigating possible link between property developer Sergio Pino and threats against woman
According to the FBI affidavit, Edner was the driver of the rented Home Depot flatbed truck that struck Tatiana Pino’s BMW on August 30, 2023, and Dulfo followed her car to Pinecrest’s home in a dark-colored Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck that same day . The couple also coordinated the rental of the flatbed truck at Home Depot in Coconut Grove.
The FBI affidavit also focuses on two arson incidents on July 2, 2022, and August 12, 2023, involving Bennett, Dulfo and Howard. But the target of the arsons was not Sergio Pino’s wife Tatiana; it was the woman’s sister, the affidavit says.
The midnight attacks destroyed three cars — a 2019 Dodge Ram, a 2019 Dodge Tahoe and a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado — owned by Tatiana’s sister and her husband, who live in Miami-Dade County.
Read more: Developer Sergio Pino’s wife accused him of poisoning her, divorce records reveal
Security cameras at the home captured two of the couple’s trucks being set on fire by a suspect wearing a hooded sweatshirt and shorts.
In March of this year, Bennett was questioned by FBI agents before his arrest.
“Bennett then told police that he had been asked to find individuals to commit arson and a hit and run against VICTIM 1,” the affidavit said. [The Herald has learned that VICTIM 1 is Sergio Pino’s wife Tatiana.]
“Bennett identified Dulfo as the person he approached to commit the arsons and the hit-and-run,” adding that he had known Dulfo for a long time.
Dulfo’s attorney, Paul Donnelly, declined to comment on the allegations Friday.
Read the documents: FBI affidavits detail alleged threats against developer’s wife
