Fort Myers man sentenced for nearly $1M Lee County Port Authority racketeering scheme

The man law enforcement says was at the top of a scheme to defraud the Lee County Port Authority of nearly $1 million has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Thomas Brennan was sentenced to eight years in prison, followed by 10 years of probation, and ordered to pay $725,000 in restitution to Travellers Insurance and $22,000 to Triangle Services. The court said those amounts might be changed if others involved in the case also pay restitution.

In April, Brennen pled to the court on RICO Conspiracy, Organized Fraud over $50,000, and Money Laundering over $100,000 charges.

The state attorney’s office says Brennan was part of an operation to defraud the Lee County Port Authority of more than $900,000 that began in 2014. The Lee County Clerk of Courts’ audit in 2017 uncovered the illegal activity.

The audit found that Brennen was paying people who never worked but still received regular paychecks from the Lee County Port Authority.

The state attorney’s office said eight other defendants in the RICO case have already been convicted. The state has collected $223,800 in restitution as a condition of their sentencing.