Sheriff Marceno says federal investigation has cleared him
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno announced Tuesday that a probe into alleged improprieties on his part found no wrongdoing.
“I believe in the system. The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office investigated and conducted independent investigations,” Marceno said in a statement issued by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. “They have found no wrongdoing. It is clear that from the beginning these were politically motivated allegations and completely false.”
Marceno’s statement does not specify the allegations.
A spokesperson for Marceno referred questions to Marceno’s attorney, Donald Day. Day did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
A letter released by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office from the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida to Day, states that the office has been “investigating allegations against your client, Sheriff Carmine Marceno. I am writing to inform you that based on information presently known to the government and the principles of federal prosecution, our office and the FBI have closed this investigation as of November 17, 2025.”
The letter goes on to state that “this letter does not bind any federal, state or local law enforcement or prosecuting authority, including this office, nor does it address or limit any civil or administrative action that a federal, state, or local authority may pursue with respect to this or any other matter.”
The letter provided by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office does not show who signed the document. The U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida is Gregory Kehoe. The letter was released after office hours for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Marceno was accused last year by Mike Hollow, a former Lee County Sheriff’s Office employee who ran a write-in election campaign against Marceno last year, of having hired a “ghost employee” as a consultant and then asking that contract employee to help pay for a luxury car for Marceno’s father.
The consultant, Bonita Springs jewelry store owner Ken Romano, had a consulting contract with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in 2022 to assist with communications and social media. According to Lee County Sheriff’s Office records, the contract was terminated that same year after the office said it found out Romano was under investigation by another law enforcement agency.
The consulting contract the Lee County Sheriff’s Office previously had with Romano ran from January of 2022 to August of that year, according to records provided by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. The contract initially called for Romano to be paid $4,000 a month and was amended in March of that year to pay Romano $5,700 a month. The contract was slated to run one year until it was terminated early.
Hollow alleged that part of those funds were then used for the vehicle.
Hollow has said that Romano co-operated with the investigation pertaining to the complaint.
Romano declined comment Wednesday.
Marceno steadfastly denied the allegations as untrue and characterized them as politically motivated from a former disgruntled employee.
According to the contract provided by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Romano was brought on as a consultant after Marceno determined “a need exists for a consultant to assist the Sheriff’s personnel by providing guidance regarding public relations including but not limited to social media presence and strategic communications.”
The office has maintained other consulting contracts during Marceno’s tenure, none of which are alleged to have broken any laws.
Marceno easily won re-election last year with more than 90% of the vote compared to 9% for Hollow.
Back in January, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office made an announcement that Marceno would be making a statement regarding the investigation during a sit-down discussion with a Lee County Sheriff’s Office employee that the department broadcasted on Facebook. During the discussion, Marceno acknowledged the investigation and that his office was cooperating and moving on.