Fort Myers airport contractor guilty of $900k ghost worker scam
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One of 10 people charged in a “ghost employee” scam to defraud the Lee County Port Authority pleaded guilty Monday to felony conspiracy charges.
Thomas Brennan, 73, of Fort Myers, was site manager and ultimately discovered to have falsified time sheets that were submitted to the Port Authority, charging them more than $900,000 for hours never worked and turning in timesheets for “ghost employees.”
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The Lee County Port Authority is the government agency that oversees Southwest Florida International Airport.
Brennan’s plea was not part of a plea agreement but part of a defendant’s right to plea directly to the court instead of having a jury trial. He will sentenced on May 9.
The illegal activity was uncovered during an audit of Port Authority airport service contracts by the Lee County Clerk of Court that began in late 2017.
The audit identified possible criminal activity with Triangle Services of Florida, the agency that was contracted to clean the airport. The Port Authority board fired Triangle with 32 months remaining on its contract.
The audit findings were reviewed by the State Attorney’s Office of the 20th Judicial District’s Economic Crimes Unit which determined there was…
