FORT MYERS, Fla. – The police union for the Fort Myers Police Department endorsed Lee County Sheriff candidate Mike Hollow on Thursday in a stunning move to the incumbent.
Hollow is running as a write-in candidate against embattled Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, who is reportedly under investigation by the FBI for allegations of corruption and embezzlement.
“On behalf of the Fort Myers Police Association IUPA Local 6065 I am proud to inform you that you have been officially endorsed, by decision of our Board of Directors, in your campaign as Lee County Sheriff,” said the endorsement from the International Union of Police Associations.
“Your Public Service and extensive Law Enforcement experience beginning as a Deputy, then having been promoted through the ranks with experience in the many facets of the job, has shown your commitment to a better society here in Fort Myers,” the endorsement continued. “Your resume, along with your experience and Masters Degree in Criminal Justice emphasizing Public Administration, is also quite impressive towards being an excellent candidate for this position.”
Hollow’s write-in campaign has continued to gain momentum after revelations that his opponent, incumbent Sheriff Carmen Marceno, is under FBI investigation for alleged money laundering.
A former friend of Marceno’s, 55-year-old Bonita Springs jeweler Ken Romano who alleged the corruption, says Marceno paid him as a “ghost employee” and made him honorary deputy of the sheriff’s department. He was initially paid $4,000 per month, but did not have an official role in the sheriff’s office.
When Marceno purchased a brand new Lamborghini for himself, he decided to buy an expensive Mercedes Benz for his father. According to Romano, Marceno then bumped Romano’s pay to $5,700 per month in order to make the car payment and car insurance payment for Marceno’s father’s Mercedes, using taxpayer dollars.
Romano says that when he realized that he could be party to a crime, he reported Marceno to authorities, and that he is cooperating with the FBI in the investigation.
Marceno is also the subject of an ethics complaint over his alleged non-disclosure of a cash purchase of a $600,000 condominium in Sarasota.
“I am extremely grateful to IUPA Local 6065 in Fort Myers, and thrilled to have their endorsement,” said Hollow. “Clearly they understand that the corruption we’re seeing from the Lee County Sheriff’s office is a stain on the badge of every police officer in the county. The corruption needs to end, and this endorsement will be a huge help in achieving my goal of restoring the good name of the Lee County Sheriff’s office.”
Hollow has pledged to open an internal corruption investigation on his first day as sheriff.
About Mike Hollow:
Mike Hollow began his law enforcement career as a Boston Police officer in the mid 2000s. After joining the Lee County Sheriff’s Office about 17 years ago as a sheriff’s deputy, he rose through the ranks from a patrol officer and K-9 patrol officer to a robbery and homicide detective with the Lee County Major Crimes unit. He later worked as the Commander of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Internal Affairs department, then as a Watch Commander for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit. He holds a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Public Administration.
