Fort Myers officers, Lee deputy implicated in criminal inquiry, documents show

Members of the Fort Myers Police Department are under criminal investigation following corruption allegations.

Documents released to The News-Press late Thursday confirmed that the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District, along with federal law enforcement agencies, are trying to get to the bottom of allegations coming out of the Freeh Report, a scathing 72-page report released in February.

And those documents, known as “Appendix A” and “Appendix B”, also implicate at least one deputy from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office with alleged corruption.

More:Police corruption, toxic culture detailed in FMPD audit

The Freeh Report confirmed heavy-handed policing in the city’s minority communities, and revealed allegations of officers tipping off drug dealers to impending search warrants. It was based on anonymous interviews between Fort Myers police officers and members of Freeh Group International Solutions, a Delaware-based consulting firm. The city hired the Freeh Group after a News-Press investigation revealed a toxic culture within the department.

As part of that report, the Freeh Group created appendices A and B and never released them to the public. Appendix A outlines the corruption and botched internal affairs investigations, while Appendix B deals with a drug trafficking ring that was operating with near impunity, even killing witnesses.

The News-Press fought nearly eight months for their release, initially going through the Freeh Group and later involving a lawyer to compel the city to release them.

Though heavily censored, they shed more light on the allegations of police corruption and a drug ring with free reign. 

There are four references to drug trafficking, two references to officers leaking information and six references to murder, including potential witnesses and arranged hits.

And an FMPD supervisor allegedly offered protection to an unknown person.

Fort Myers police Chief Derrick Diggs declined to comment.

“A potential witness … was murdered,” Appendix A says. In between blacked-out text on Appendix B, it says, "… arranged for … murder …”

“During this period of time, … directed … to murder … was subsequently murdered,” Appendix B says in between blacked-out text.

More:Fort Myers police kept accreditation despite misleading annual reports

The reports also refer to an LCSO deputy twice, but it's unclear whether it's the same person.

“It was reported that … sell narcotics under the protection of a Deputy …,” Appendix B says. In another area, it reads, “…reported that the Deputy allowed … to use an LCSO vehicle to transport the narcotics.”

"At this time, we have no knowledge or reason to believe that any deputy is under investigation for anything related to the matters encompassed by the Freeh Report," an LCSO spokeswoman said in an email.

Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott declined to comment any further.

It's unclear which FMPD officers are under criminal investigation, but personnel records show the following members were placed on paid administrative leave the same day the Freeh Report was released:

Officer Jason Jackson, Capt. Melvin Perry and sergeants Michael Forbes and Rick Notaro, who has since retired from the department.

Assistant United States Attorney Rachelle DesVaux Bedke wrote a letter dated Oct. 10 arguing against the full release of the appendices.

“Public disclosure of Appendices A and B would seriously jeopardize the investigation and potentially endanger the safety of witnesses and law enforcement officers.”