By Alex Rickert and Mandy Miles
The following is a summary of statements taken directly from the report of a 15-member grand jury that recently indicted former County Administrator Roman Gastesi, former division chief of Trauma Star and Monroe County Fire Rescue Andrea Thompson, and former Trauma Star medical director Dr. Sandra Schwemmer in connection with the 2022 theft and loss of more than 600 vials of fentanyl, Dilaudid, ketamine and other controlled substances from MCFR, which also oversees the county’s Trauma Star air ambulance service.
The grand jury report was filed with the Monroe County Clerk of Court on Aug. 19. The Weekly strongly encourages our readers to view this report in its entirety at the bottom of this page, along with prior Keys Weekly coverage of the ongoing case available at the link below. The Keys Weekly emphasizes that all individuals named are innocent until proven guilty, and though Gastesi, Thompson and Schwemmer have been indicted, they have not been convicted of any crimes.
Read about previous indictments HERE.
Grand jury’s ‘facts & our assessment’
“The incident in July 2022, in which (former Trauma Star chief flight nurse) Lynda Rusinowski was initially charged … was merely the tip of the iceberg. Multiple incidents involving controlled substances and drugs utilized by the Trauma Star/EMS program have occurred since at least 2010. Many of these incidents have involved the same employees of Monroe County, Roman Gastesi, James Callahan, Andrea Thompson and Sandra Schwemmer.”
“On Aug. 2, 8 and 15, 2024, the Grand Jury heard testimony from 20 witnesses involved in or having knowledge of the 2022 Trauma Star investigation and actions by MCFR and other public servants. It should be noted that Roman Gastesi was afforded an invitation on two separate dates to appear in person or via Zoom, but did not appear.”
“(Integrity and accountability) are seriously lacking in current (and former) MCFR high-ranking administrators and county employees and allowed for a caustic and cronyistic environment to exist for many years within the agency. This culture seriously affects the morale of its employees and the delivery of services affecting the life and safety of Monroe County citizens and visitors and must come to a stop. This culture has been one of long duration where certain employees have received preferential treatment to the detriment of other employees, often leading to the termination or resignation of employees who have refused to allow such dysfunctional behavior to exist.”
“Unfortunately, this environment … can be documented back to 2010.”
On Dr. Sandra Schwemmer’s alleged role
“The Grand Jury received a significant amount of information indicating that Dr. Schwemmer was not complying with the terms of her contract with the BOCC.”
“Testimony and information presented to the Grand Jury indicated that … controlled substances such as morphine, fentanyl, Dilaudid, ketamine and Versed regularly went missing without remedial action being taken. However, she did not institute any real changes to the inventory processes during her tenure.”
“Given the multiple incidents involving controlled substances during Dr. Schwemmer’s tenure, the Grand Jury is deeply concerned about the willingness of the BOCC to continually renew Dr. Schwemmer’s contracts that regularly increased the amount of compensation she received without any oversight that the terms of the contracts were being complied with.”
On Andrea Thompson’s alleged role
“Mrs. Thompson has been directly involved in several of the incidents and instead of being terminated or disciplined … she has consistently been promoted throughout the years. … Information provided to the Grand Jury has shown that both Roman Gastesi and Fire Chief James Callahan have consistently intervened on behalf of Mrs. Thompson … to prevent disciplinary action being taken.”
“She placed her friendship with the Chief Flight Nurse Rusinowski ahead of public safety, improperly inserted herself in the investigation into the narcotics theft by Rusinowski and thwarted law enforcement’s attempts to discover all the facts and evidence surrounding the crime committed by her friend.”
“Aside from the above, Andrea Thompson was a main architect of the toxic workplace that existed at MCFR, actively participating in intimidation, threats and coercion to keep those she managed under her control.”
On Roman Gastesi’s alleged role
“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.”
“Most recently, Roman Gastesi intervened and stopped HR and Employee Services from conducting an internal investigation by an outside third-party independent firm of the July 2022 incident and more specifically Andrea Thompson.”
On former MCFR Fire Chief Steven Hudson
“Information … indicates that Chief Hudson was harassed and received multiple threats of retaliation resulting in his decision to retire instead of being terminated when Chief Hudson attempted to implement changes and impose discipline for the July 2022 Rusinowski incident. To Chief Hudson’s credit, he requested that the Monroe County Clerk of Court conduct a full and complete audit of the EMS and Trauma Star program. Not surprisingly, Chief Hudson received much pushback from the County Administrator Gastesi and certain BOCC commissioners.”
On MCFR and Trauma Star employees and testifying witnesses
“There are many highly trained, dedicated, ethical and committed individuals within those programs who take pride in serving Monroe County. The long standing underlying problem has been the various individuals placed in leadership roles who have abused the power given to them and created an unhealthy almost tyrannical environment.”
“The currently employed firefighter/paramedics who testified exposed themselves to potential retribution and ostracism (and) were especially courageous despite being at risk of severe personal and professional consequences.”
“The Grand Jury was in full consensus that the MCFR EMS and Trauma Star program provides outstanding critical patient care and services. … We commend their efforts and encourage public trust and confidence in these services.”
Recommendations to the county commission
“Mr. Gastesi must never hold any position with Monroe County.”
“Andrea Thompson (should) be immediately terminated from her position with MCFR and not be allowed to return or hold any position with MCFR or hold any position of trust within Monroe County.”
“Chief Callahan (should) be asked to resign as Fire Chief before the end of 2024.”
“Monroe County Employee Services to implement random drug testing for all county employees in special-risk positions.”
“Monroe County’s Human Resources/Employee Services department (should) develop a new and uniform policy and procedures for the handling of any complaint received by a Monroe County employee. … (and) review and update its whistleblower/anonymous reporting process. … There also needs to be a written report or response documented internally indicating what was done to investigate the report as well as a response being provided to the individual who made the report.”
“The BOCC (should) immediately hire an independent third-party firm to conduct a review of all contracts of services and determine compliance with the required contract terms before any contract is renewed.”
“The BOCC (should) implement more checks and balances as it pertains to the County Administrator position. There should be written monthly reports detailing a thorough review by the County Administrator of the County’s departments’ work environment, work product and efficiency along with any pending complaints or incidents related to public trust or accountability.”
County officials react
Monroe County spokeswoman Kristen Livengood told the Keys Weekly on Aug. 28 that the county commission will be reviewing all recommendations and discussing them at length at the Sept. 11 meeting in Key Largo.
“The number one priority now is to regain the trust of our community. 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.” – Monroe County Mayor Holly Merrill Raschein
“The grand jury report is why we requested not only an internal audit investigation on Fire Rescue, but an independent agency to comprehensively review our entire organization with the goal of identifying opportunities for improvement, accountability, transparency and fairness across all operations. True leadership demands accountability and a willingness to self-assess, and I acknowledge that there are areas where we can do better. I continue to uphold the commitment of serving our community with the highest standards of governance and service. This isn’t about the service provided by our fire rescue. This is about leadership and organizational effectiveness.” – commissioner Michelle Lincoln
“I received the grand jury recommendations and am in the process of digesting the information that was presented. I look forward to our discussion at the next BOCC meeting regarding the findings.” – commissioner David Rice
“We will take this matter seriously and are committed to transparency and accountability. Our priority is to thoroughly review the findings and recommendations made by the grand jury to ensure that our operations align with best practices to better serve the public’s interest.” – commissioner Craig Cates
“We’ll discuss this fully as a commission once we have the opportunity to discuss it at a public meeting, when we’re permitted to discuss such matters. I’m committed to taking any necessary actions to improve our policies and procedures.” — commissioner Jim Scholl
“We are doing a thorough review of how our culture operates. We want to make sure we do not repeat any of the mistakes of the past and make sure that our controls are robust enough to not be circumvented moving forward.” – acting County Administrator Kevin Wilson
READ THE FULL JURY REPORT BELOW: 2022 Trauma Star Diversion of Controlled Substances.
