Miami, FL– A Miami-area roofer who found himself at the center of a deadly conspiracy has pleaded guilty to his role in a murder-for-hire scheme orchestrated by one of South Florida’s most prominent real estate developers.
From Roofing to Crime: A Fatal Connection
Fausto “Cuba” Villar, 43, wasn’t just fixing roofs. He was quietly helping organize a plot to murder a multi-millionaire’s wife.
Hired to work on the Coral Gables mansion of developer Sergio Pino, Villar, a convicted felon, became more than just a tradesman on the job. Federal authorities say Pino recruited Villar to help arrange the murder of his estranged wife, Tatiana Pino, amid a bitter divorce dispute that involved a fortune worth well over $100 million.
Villar pleaded guilty this week to multiple federal charges, including conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, stalking, and brandishing a firearm during a violent crime. He is now the fifth of nine defendants to accept a plea deal in hopes of avoiding a life sentence.
A Toxic Marriage and a Deadly Offer
Tatiana Pino filed for divorce in 2022 after alleging that her husband had tried to poison her over time with a combination of fentanyl and bath salts- accusations Pino denied. She also claimed that she was coerced into signing a prenuptial agreement under duress just minutes before their wedding in 1992.
When she rejected a $20 million divorce settlement and instead sought half of Pino’s empire, prosecutors say the developer made a deadly decision.
“First he tried to poison her over a period of time,” said Markenzy Lapointe, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. “When that failed, he put out a contract on her head on two separate occasions, hiring separate groups of hitmen to do the job.”
Among those recruited were people already on Pino’s payroll, including a waiter from his $6 million yacht and Villar, the roofer, whose wife owned a roofing company Pino frequently hired. Prosecutors say Pino offered staggered payments totaling $300,000 to ensure his role remained secret.
A Brazen Attack
On June 23, 2024, Villar’s handpicked crew, including convicted felons he knew from prison, attempted to carry out the murder.
As Tatiana Pino returned from church to her Pinecrest home, Vernon Green, a hired gunman, ambushed her in the driveway. Brandishing a pistol, Green rushed her vehicle. She slammed the horn and accelerated into the backyard to escape. Her daughter ran outside and was met by Green, who pointed the gun “inches from her face” and ordered her back.
Green fled. But surveillance footage, eyewitness accounts, and forensic evidence brought the FBI in quickly. The failed hit became the break that unraveled a conspiracy stretching across two criminal crews, a fake construction job, and a violent divorce.
The FBI Sting
Shortly after the attack, the FBI flipped one of the conspirators, Avery Bivins. Just one day before federal agents planned to arrest Pino, Bivins called Villar on a wiretapped burner phone. Villar, unaware he was being recorded, confirmed Pino’s role in the murder plot and advised Bivins to stay quiet “until the smoke clears.”
That call was a turning point. On July 16, 2024, agents swarmed Pino’s waterfront mansion to arrest him, but the developer shot himself before they could enter.
What’s Next for Villar and the Others
Villar’s plea now leaves him facing a minimum of seven years and potentially life in federal prison. Green, the gunman, has also pleaded guilty. Several other defendants, including the yacht waiter, handyman, and additional recruits, are expected to follow.
Tatiana Pino, who now leads Century Homebuilders Group with her daughter, is still battling in probate court over remaining assets of her late husband’s estate.
