Sheriff Marceno says he has ‘zero tolerance’ for street racing. Here’s a video of Sheriff Marceno street racing.

Call it a case of highway hypocrisy.

After Lee County deputies arrested an 18-year-old on a street racing charge last week, Sheriff Carmine Marceno put out a press release on social media that included the teen’s mug shot and a statement about the sheriff’s abhorrence for racing cars on public roads. 

“I have zero tolerance for street racing in Lee County,” Marceno stated. “Driving an [sic] excessive speed and putting yourself, your passengers, and others on the road at risk is an incredibly selfish decision. My deputies will continue to patrol the roads of Lee County, ensuring drivers make smart choices or they will face the consequences.” 

It was an unambiguous statement from Marceno, himself a well-known connoisseur of fast cars, but video evidence obtained by the Florida Trident shows “zero tolerance” doesn’t necessarily extend to his own actions. 

The video, which can be seen here, shows Marceno driving south on six-lane South Tamiami Trail in a black Lamborghini Huracan convertible with the top down on a sunny day in Estero. Shooting the video is Marceno’s former friend, Bonita Springs jeweler Ken Romano, who drives in the lane to the right of the sheriff in the same direction. The brief race begins at Romano’s prompting.

“Juice that m—-f—-!” Romano tells Marceno. 

Marceno then guns the engine and surges ahead down the highway. Romano chases after but can’t keep up with the high-performance Italian sports car, which depending on the variant sell for between $200,000 and $344,000. As Romano ends the video, a glimpse of his speedometer shows he’s going 74 mph while still well behind Marceno. The speed limit on that stretch of road is 50 mph. 

An email to the sheriff’s public information office with questions about the video and an interview request for Marceno went unreturned. When reached by phone at his jewelry store, Romano refused to comment on the video.

Street racing is but a minor peccadillo compared to allegations being investigated by a federal grand jury that was sparked by Romano, who had been a close friend and gambling buddy of Marceno for years. Romano alleged he provided the sheriff more than $100,000 in gifts, including jewelry and cash for Marceno’s gambling debts.

In return he said he was given a no-work sheriff’s office consulting contract paying him $5,700 a month that included kickbacks to the sheriff’s father to make payments on a Mercedes Benz. Also under investigation, according to multiple sources, is work the sheriff had done at his home by sheriff’s office building contractors. 

The investigation continues.

About the Author: Trident senior editor Bob Norman is a veteran investigative journalist whose work has won dozens of awards and led to criminal charges and the removal of several corrupt public officials. He can be reached at norman@flcga.org.