{"id":49944,"date":"2024-09-18T20:43:04","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T00:43:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=49944"},"modified":"2024-09-18T20:43:11","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T00:43:11","slug":"lee-county-sheriffs-office-releases-alleged-ghost-employee-contract-with-jeweler-who-claims-kickback-scheme-involving-the-sheriff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2024\/09\/18\/lee-county-sheriffs-office-releases-alleged-ghost-employee-contract-with-jeweler-who-claims-kickback-scheme-involving-the-sheriff\/","title":{"rendered":"Lee County Sheriff\u2019s Office releases alleged \u201cghost employee\u201d contract with jeweler who claims kickback scheme involving the sheriff"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno put Ken Romano on the public payroll as a consultant in 2022 at $5,700 a month to provide \u201cguidance regarding public relations\u201d and social media at the agency. The consulting agreement<\/a>, released by LCSO Tuesday, claimed the 55-year-old Romano possessed the \u201cability, certifications and experience\u201d to do the job and was \u201cduly qualified.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Romano isn\u2019t a public relations or social media expert. He\u2019s a Bonita Springs jeweler and former Marceno gambling buddy who said in a recently surfaced audio recording that his LCSO consulting job was a no-work sham and a portion of the money \u2013 $1,700 a month \u2013 was used to pay for a Mercedes Benz the sheriff bought for his father, Carmine Marceno Sr. <\/p>\n\n\n

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