Grand jury slams Monroe County’s response to stolen drugs from air ambulance service
A Monroe County grand jury issued a damning report Thursday detailing accusations against three high-level county officials who were indicted earlier this month over the alleged theft of drugs from the Florida Keys’ air ambulance service.
The 13-page report, part of an ongoing criminal investigation, states the actions and inactions of these officials not only facilitated the drugs’ theft by a high-ranking Monroe County Fire Rescue officer but also allowed “a caustic and cronyistic environment and culture to exist for many years” within her department.
The report focuses on former Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi, Dr. Sandra Schwemmer, who up until this month was the county’s medical director, and Capt. Andrea Thompson, who headed the county’s Trauma Star emergency helicopter program until being suspended without pay after she was charged on Aug. 9. Gastesi and Schwemmer were also indicted in August.
“The long standing, underlying problem has been that various individuals placed in leadership roles who have abused the power given to them and created an unhealthy almost tyrannical environment,” the grand jury report states.
All three were charged as part of the investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and State Attorney’s Office into the alleged theft of drugs from the Trauma Star program by former Chief Flight Nurse Lynda Rusinowski, 58, a highly decorated nurse practitioner who was arrested in July 2022 on grand theft and fraud charges.
Accused of stealing fentanyl to fuel drug habit
Rusinowski is accused of stealing vials of medications, including opioids fentanyl and Dilaudid and the pain drug ketamine, recently linked to Matthew Perry’s death, to feed her drug addiction. In July, a grand jury indicted Rusinowski on 36 additional counts — 14 counts of grand theft of a controlled substance and 12 counts of official misconduct.
A county audit in 2023 concluded that more than 600 medications had been stolen in a little more than a year’s time.
Rusinowski has pleaded not guilty, and her attorney, Edward McGee, declined to comment Thursday.
Gastesi, 63, is charged with one one count of official misconduct, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
The grand jury report states that he “intervened and stopped HR and Employee services from conducting an internal investigation by an outside third-party independent firm” of Thompson’s handling of Rusinowski’s alleged theft for the drugs.
Gastesi 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. He stayed on with the county on a “volunteer” basis so he could receive full compensation from the Florida Deferred Retirement Option Program, which encourages highly paid municipal employees to step down to qualify for the lucrative pension benefits.
Before retiring, his annual salary was $288,759, said county spokeswoman Kristen Livengood.
The County Commission terminated its relationship with him this month after his indictment.
Gastesi’s attorney, Ramon de la Cabada, when reached Thursday, said he had not read the full grand jury report, but that his client is innocent.
“I’m waiting to see evidence of criminal behavior on behalf of Mr. Gastesi. My client is adamant that there has been no criminal wrongdoing. He was trying to do his job,” he said.
County commission slammed by grand jury
The report is critical of the Board of County Commissioners for keeping Gastesi on as the top unelected official since 2008, despite being part of a previous grand jury investigation into the theft of county-owned cell phones and iPads in 2012 by another employee. That grand jury recommended his termination, as the report notes.
“The question is posed as to whether Mr. Gastesi serves at the pleasure of the BOCC, or does Mr. Gastesi control the actions of the BOCC? The proverbial ‘tail wagging the dog.’ What is certain, through the testimony of the various witnesses, is that Mr. Gastesi has used what appears to be boundless power and authority in manners not consistent with the best interests of Monroe County as a whole, but rather for select individuals that align themselves with him, or otherwise not against his agenda,” the report states.
Thompson, 45, is accused of covering up Rusinowski’s alleged theft when it came to light in the summer of 2022. She’s 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.
“She placed her personal friendship with Chief Flight Nurse Rusinowski ahead of public safety, improperly inserted herself in the investigation into narcotics theft by Rusinowski and thwarted law enforcement attempts to discover all the facts and evidence surrounding the crime committed by her friend,” the report states.
Thompson has pleaded not guilty.
“We look forward to a jury trial in which Division Chief Thompson’s overwhelmingly favorable evidence will be presented, the weakness of the prosecution case will be exposed, and she will be completely vindicated,” her attorney, Sean Parys, said in a statement Thursday.
Report critical of fire chief
The grand jury was critical of Thompson’s bosses, including Gastesi and Fire Chief James Callahan, for not disciplining or firing Thompson, despite other incidents when drugs went missing from the Trauma Star program, going back to 2010.
“Mrs. Thompson has been directly involved with several of the incidents and instead of being terminated or disciplined as recommended by MCFR officials, she has consistently been promoted throughout the years until she was most recently been serving as MCFR division chief of [Emergency Medical Services] and Trauma Star Division at the time of her arrest on August 9, 2024,” the report states.
Thompson’s salary at the time of her suspension was $151,127 a year.
Callahan did not respond to a request for comment from the Herald. The grand jury recommended the county fire him.
‘Toxic workplace’ at Monroe County Fire Rescue
The report also accuses Thompson of being “a main architect of the toxic workplace that existed at MCFR, actively participating in intimidation, threats and coercion to keep those she manages under her control. Yet, Thomson was rewarded for her ‘loyalty to service’ by being promoted multiple times....’
Schwemmer, 72, who as county medical director is in charge of all medications controlled and distributed by Fire Rescue, is charged with one count of official misconduct, one count of providing false information to law enforcement and one count of altering patient records.
The grand jury report said Schwemmer “rarely appeared in County and would delegate her various responsibilities to other EMS/Trauma Star personnel, including but not limited to Andrea Thompson, Lynda Rusinowski and others.”
The grand jury received testimony that narcotics, including fentanyl, morphine and other controlled substances, “regularly went missing without remedial actions being taken.”
“However, she [Schwemmer], did not institute any real change to the inventory process during her tenure that would ensure such drugs did not go missing or unaccounted for,” the report states.
The county hired Schwemmer in 1987, and she earned an annual salary of $124,842 before she was fired this month.
Her attorney, Kader Scull, issued a statement saying she is innocent.
“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,” Scull said.
The county responded with a statement Thursday that it was reviewing the more than a dozen recommendations included in the grand jury report.
“The number one priority now is to regain the trust of our community,” Monroe County Mayor Holly Merrill Raschein said in a statement. “We will continue to be accountable and transparent while implementing the appropriate recommendations in the Grand Jury’s report and will have staff present regular updates at BOCC meetings into the foreseeable future.”
