Three weeks of paid administrative go away for Key West’s three-times-indicted chief constructing official ended after an administrative listening to at metropolis corridor on Thursday, Might 8.
Metropolis supervisor Brian L. Barroso positioned Ramsingh, who has been indicted on 9 felony counts, on unpaid, indefinite suspension for a felony act.
Ramsingh has been indicted on a first-degree felony cost of “organized fraud,” which carries a most jail sentence of 30 years if convicted. He additionally faces eight felony counts of fraud stemming from the alleged alteration or falsification of metropolis constructing permits and one depend of obstructing justice by allegedly deleting textual content messages that had been requested as a part of a felony investigation.
“Because of your a number of felony indictments, and the proof that seems to signify a violation of the quite a few metropolis insurance policies and procedures described herein, town can’t take the danger of permitting you to function in any capability as its chief constructing official,” Barroso writes. “Your indefinite suspension with out pay will stay in impact till town’s administrative investigation has concluded and/or a call has been reached regarding the applicable motion to be taken.”
Raj Ramsingh didn’t attend the employment listening to at metropolis corridor, however his legal professional offered a written assertion on his behalf, in accordance with the six-page letter that metropolis supervisor Brian L. Barroso despatched to Ramsingh through licensed mail following the listening to on Might 8 and notifying him of the unpaid indefinite suspension.
“I’ve reviewed the data and claims offered within the letter out of your legal professional,” Barroso writes. “One of many claims is that if town strikes ahead with terminating your employment, it should signify illegal retaliation in response to some kind of discrimination criticism(s) that you just declare to have made with town previous to your preliminary arrest on April 15, 2025. The town requested you to offer documentation in assist of your declare, however you failed to reply or present the requested documentation. Opposite to your declare, there isn’t a proof that you just ever submitted or made any kind of discrimination criticism with town in the course of the course of your employment because the chief constructing official. Accordingly, any employment motion taken by town in opposition to you in reference to the problems described on this letter, together with termination, can be lawful, professional and non-discriminatory….”
“This resolution (to put Ramsingh on unpaid, indefinite suspension for a felony act) relies on the proof that you’ll have engaged in egregious misconduct…,” the letter states. It goes on to element the costs in every of Ramsingh’s three indictments, and match these to the particular metropolis insurance policies these acts violate.
The letter factors to discovery paperwork launched by the state legal professional’s workplace that exhibits that Ramsingh allegedly owned and operated his personal building firm, Stryker-Avery Properties, whereas additionally working as town’s chief constructing official. As well as, the proof alleges that Ramsingh used his metropolis place to bypass town’s allowing and evaluate processes for his personal achieve and for that of his buddies, shoppers and different influential folks on the town.
Raj Ramsingh’s unpaid suspension comes almost two weeks after a Key West metropolis fee vote to terminate the employment of his brother, former metropolis legal professional Ron Ramsingh, with out trigger. The with out trigger specification entitled Ron Ramsingh to a $221,00 payout.
Ron Ramsingh has been twice indicted on felony expenses of obstructing justice by deleting textual content messages being sought in a felony investigation and official misconduct for allegedly “interfering with the reporting of a felony dedicated by his brother,” the indictment states.