When the Florida Commission on Ethics issued its press release on the status of its cases Wednesday, conspicuously missing was the complaint filed against Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno by his former close pal Ken Romano.
The months-long investigation into alleged unreported gifts and inappropriate kickbacks was slated to be heard by the commission this past Friday to determine whether probable cause was found that Marceno had violated state ethics laws, but the commission apparently made no decision. Further confusing matters, Romano, citing health issues, requested on July 30 that his complaint be withdrawn, after the still unreleased ethics investigation had largely been completed.
Ethics commission spokeswoman Lynn Blais said there is nothing available to the public regarding the case, which by law she couldn’t confirm or deny existed at all. When the commission takes action on any active case, the complaint and investigative record will become public, she said.
“Everything we do becomes public at some point,” Blais said.
While Romano’s complaint remains secret at this point, the commission found no probable cause in the investigation triggered by a complaint filed by former LCSO commander James Bogliole, which you can read about here. While Marceno wasn’t a direct subject of the Bogliole investigation, several members of his command staff whom Bogliole alleged pressured him to misrepresent a fellow deputy’s apparent DUI while he served as watch commander were.
“The Commission found no probable cause to believe that Lee County Sheriff’s Office Commander Rob Casale, Chief James Rankine, Major Chris Reeves, Undersheriff John Holloway, Major Mark Shelly, or Chief Matthew Sands, misused their positions to benefit themselves or another person concerning their involvement with a traffic stop and arrest of an off-duty Deputy who had been pulled over for speeding and Driving Under the Influence,” the commission recounted in its press release.
About the Author: Bob Norman is a senior editor for the Florida Trident. His work as an investigative reporter has won dozens of awards and led to criminal charges and the removal of several corrupt public officials. He can be reached at norman@flcga.org. The Florida Trident is an investigative news outlet focusing on government accountability and transparency across Florida. The Trident was created and first published in 2022 by non-profit investigative, a non-profit organization that facilitates local investigative reporting across the state.
