A recording leaked by an election challenger accuses Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno of misusing county funds to finance a Mercedes for his father, among other things.
Michael Hollow, Marceno’s challenger in the upcoming election, told the News-Press he recorded a call between him and Lee County honorary deputy Ken Romano. According to Hollow, Romano was aware the call was recorded with the intent to turn it over to authorities.
In the call, Marceno is accused of a money laundering scheme that allegedly netted him high-value items, including the car for his father.
Hollow said he met with the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office in May. The FBI would not confirm or deny whether it was investigating the matter initially reported by the Florida Trident.
Here’s what to know:
Marceno accused of diverting money from honorary deputy’s pay to fund father’s Mercedes
Marceno reportedly appointed Ken Romano, a Fort Myers jeweler, as an honorary deputy and hired him as a department consultant. Romano was paid $4,000 a month, for no work, beginning in January 2022.
Hollow, a 17-year veteran of the sheriff’s office and former Internal Affairs commander, said honorary deputies generally don’t receive salaries and are often awarded the title for donations made to the sheriff’s office.
According to the recording, Romano soon got a $1,700 monthly raise which he, in turn, paid to Marceno’s father in cash for payments and insurance on a Mercedes Benz.
Marceno wanted to get his father a “nice ride to drive back and forth from the West to East coasts of Florida for kidney treatments,” Romano said. Marceno found an S-Class for $119,000 at Mercedes of Bonita, and allegedly told an undersheriff to give Romano a pay raise in the exact amount of the monthly car payments plus insurance: $1,700.
“I knew it wasn’t correct but (wondered) if it could be considered money laundering,” Romano said. “The kid just involved me in a (expletive) crime.”
According to the call, Marceno and Romano’s relationship soured.
Sheriff Carmine Marceno accused of owing gambling debts
Romano alleged Marceno owes him hundreds of thousands of dollars for bailing him out of gambling debts, jewelry he gifted him, and other items, including a $45,000 ring he said Marceno gave his grandmother.
Marceno’s state financial disclosure forms filed with the State Ethics Commission confirm ongoing gaming habits.
According to the forms, Marceno claimed $290,183 in gambling income in 2022. In 2023, he listed $168,696 of winnings and $27,030 in 2024.
Michael Hollow accuses Marceno of ‘essentially, money laundering’
Hollow said he conducted his own investigation and learned that Marceno used taxpayer money to pay personal bills and accepted extravagant gifts – such as jewelry and a piano.
He said Marceno was, “essentially, money laundering.”
“I felt if I didn’t do anything with (this information) that I was just as guilty as Carmine,” Hollow said. “He set the badge back 50 years.”
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Lee County Sheriff misused funds, leaked audio alleges. What to know
