A Monroe County Grand Jury on Sept. 15 returned an additional seven-count indictment charging former Key West chief building official Raj Ramsingh with multiple acts of official misconduct, states a press release from the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office.
The indictment alleges that between October 2021 and March 2024, while working for the city of Key West, Ramsingh “knowingly and intentionally falsified, concealed, altered or covered up official records related to building permits issued by the City of Key West. These actions allegedly caused unlawful harm to the City of Key West and/or provided unlawful benefits to property owners,” states the indictment.
The new charges involve permits connected to the following properties in Key West:
- 511 Caroline Street – Permit Nos. BLD2019-3580 and BLD2020-1439.
- 1209 Virginia Street – Permit Nos. BLD2019-1747 and BLD2020-2026.
- 510 Fleming Street – Permit No. BLD2022-0779.
- 1114 Olivia Street – Permit Nos. BLD2021-2534 and BLD2022-1504.
- 1800 Atlantic Boulevard, Apt. 128C – Permit No. BLD2023-1801.
- 1504 18th Street – Permit No. BLD2023-2038.
- 1550 4th Street – Permit Nos. BLD2022-1629 and BLD2022-1772.
The owners of the above properties have not been charged with any wrongdoing, and in some cases may have been unaware that anything was handled improperly with their building permits.
If Ramsingh is convicted, each count of official misconduct is classified as a third-degree felony under Florida law, punishable by up to five years in prison, five years of probation, and a $5,000 fine.
The Keys Weekly contacted Raj Ramsingh’s attorney via email on Sept. 16, but did not receive a reply.
The case against Raj Ramsingh began with his initial indictment and arrest on April 15. The investigation has continued and includes charges being filed against the former Key West city attorney Ron Ramsingh, the brother of the chief building official. The two were working at city hall at the same time, and Ron Ramsingh is accused of helping his brother commit or cover up felony activity.
Raj Ramsingh was also indicted in May on a first-degree felony charge of “organized fraud,” which carries a maximum prison sentence of 30 years if convicted. He also faces eight initial felony counts of fraud stemming from the alleged alteration or falsification of city building permits — bringing the current total to 15 allegedly fraudulent permits following this week’s new charges — and one count of obstructing justice by allegedly deleting text messages that were requested as part of a criminal investigation.
Discovery documents released by the state attorney’s office during the investigation show that Ramsingh allegedly owned and operated his own construction company, Strykker-Avery Homes, while also working as the city’s chief building official. In addition, prosecutors allege that Ramsingh used his city position to bypass the city’s permitting and review processes for his own gain and for that of his friends, clients and other influential people in town, approving building permits for projects that had not been reviewed, or that had been denied, by the city’s planning department.
A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29 in front of Judge Mark Jones.
Raj Ramsingh’s attorneys have requested copies of all communications between and among dozens of current and former city officials, according to court records.
In a motion filed on Sept. 9, Ramsingh’s attorneys gave the city of Key West 15 days to compile and turn over “all communications between former city manager Albert Childress and former planning director Katie Halloran, as well as all communications between Halloran and planning staff members, between Childress and former mayor Teri Johnston; between former city manager Patti McLauchlin and assistant city manager Todd Stoughton and between Halloran and commissioner Sam Kaufman.
State prosecutors have objected to that motion and asked Judge Jones to hold a hearing on the matter. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29, but it is unclear, according to the court docket, whether that hearing will consider Ramsingh’s request for communication records.
