Grand jury indicts Monroe County’s top administrator. He’s third Keys official charged

A grand jury indicted Monroe County’s former top unelected official Thursday in connection with an ongoing investigation into stolen drugs from the Florida Keys air ambulance service.

Roman Gastesi Jr. is charged with one count of official misconduct, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison, the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office said in a statement Friday.

“The charge stems from alleged actions that took place between August 11 and November 17, 2022, during which Mr. Gastesi is accused of knowingly and intentionally obstructing, delaying, or preventing the communication of information relating to the commission of a felony that directly affected the government entity he served,” said Steven Torrence, the State Attorney’s Office spokesman.

Gastesi, 61, who has worked for the county for 16 years, could not immediately be reached for comment. He technically retired as county administrator in February, but it was really an eight-month leave of absence, and he was expected to return to the job in September, according to the Key West Citizen.

The “retirement” was done so he could receive full compensation from the Florida Deferred Retirement Option Program, the Citizen reported.

Monroe County said in a statement Friday that Gastesi has been “volunteering” his services since February, but the relationship was terminated as a result of the indictment.

“County operations will continue as they have for the past six months. These are serious criminal charges, and we are taking these allegations very seriously,” acting County Administrator Kevin Wilson said in a statement. “We will follow due process while we await formal court proceedings. Our first priority is to ensure that the County’s services continue for our residents and visitors without interruptions.”

The charge comes a week after the grand jury charged the county’s Fire Rescue captain, Andrea Thompson, who heads the Trauma Star helicopter program and the county’s medical director, Dr. Sandra Schwemmer.

They are accused of covering up the theft of medications from Trauma Star by the chopper program’s former chief flight nurse, 58-year-old Lynda Rusinowski, in the summer of 2022.

Thompson, 45, was charged with two counts of official misconduct, one count of providing false information to law enforcement, two counts of evidence tampering, three counts of witness tampering and one count of altering patient records.

Schwemmer, 72, is charged with one count of official misconduct, one count of providing false information to law enforcement and one count of altering patient records.

Both women have been released on bond — $250,000 and $100,000 respectively.

Judge Mark Willson issued a warrant for Gastesi’s arrest and set bond at $25,000, Torrence said.

“This case, like the recent indictments of Dr. Schwemmer and Andrea Thompson, demonstrates our office’s unwavering commitment to holding public servants accountable for their actions,” Monroe County State Attorney Dennis Ward said in a prepared statement. “Mr. Gastesi’s alleged actions reflect a pattern of misconduct that affects our community’s trust in government, and we are fully committed to ensuring justice is served.”

Schwemmer’s attorney, Kader Scull, released a statement Friday saying his client is innocent and cooperating with the investigation.

“The allegations against Dr. Schwemmer are totally inconsistent with someone who has dedicated most of her career to improving life-saving medical services in Monroe County and throughout South Florida,” Scull said. “She has fully cooperated with investigating missing medications from the air rescue hangar and will continue to do so. She steadfastly maintains that she has not done any wrongdoing in this matter and looks forward to clearing her name in court. I would encourage people not to rush to judgment on these allegations and allow the justice system to run its course.”

The county fired Schwemmer and Thompson last week in the wake of their indictments. Schwemmer’s annual salary was $124,842, and Thompson’s was $151,121, said county spokeswoman Kristen Livengood.

Schwemmer’s replacement is Dr. Antonio Gandia, a Lower Keys emergency room physician, Livengood said.

Information about Thompson’s legal representation was not immediately available, and no attorney is listed on any court filings in her case. She could not be reached for comment.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.