Sheriff Marceno goes on record about allegations

Reporter: Chris Cifatte Writer: Tim Belizaire
Published: Updated:

The attorney for Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno has gone on the record about allegations made against the sheriff by a political rival.

Those allegations center, in part, around videos like the one above showing what appears to be the sheriff, a local business owner and a stack of money.

Mike Hollow, a 17-year former sheriff’s office employee running against Marceno for sheriff in the November election, claimed he’s gone to the FBI with accusations against the sheriff.

On Wednesday, the sheriff’s attorney said the accusations aren’t true.

Ken Romano is the person in the video seen with money in his hands at first. He owns a jewelry store in Bonita Springs.

The sheriff’s attorney confirmed that Carmine Marceno is the other person in the video but said what happened in the video is not illegal.

Hollow said that he and Romano went to the FBI with allegations related to Romano’s consulting contract with LCSO.

“I did my own independent parallel investigation just to confirm some things because those are some serious allegations,” said Hollow. “And then once I was able to confirm them, then I took it to the FBI.”

Until recently, Romano had a consulting contract with LCSO. WINK News reached out to Romano multiple times, and he said he had no comment.

The FBI will not confirm or deny that they’ve been contacted. The sheriff’s attorney said they have not been notified of any such investigation and called the allegations politically motivated.

Marceno’s attorney said he won’t comment on the transaction until he knows if the FBI is actually investigating.

Marceno didn’t want to comment except through his lawyers. Regarding the allegation that the contract misappropriated taxpayer money, his lawyer said, “Produce the evidence, and I’ll respond.”

Hollow said Romano, the man with the cash in that video, is also talking to the FBI.

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