BREAKING: FBI INTERVIEWS FILED IN STATE PROSECUTION — TRUMAN & CO. BROKERS QUESTIONED AS CASE AGAINST RAMSINGH EXPANDS

FBI files show no wrongdoing by the Spottswoods or Truman & Co. agents — but bolster the state’s case that ex–Chief Building Official Raj Ramsingh openly blurred public duty with private gain.

Newly released FBI interview summaries filed as part of discovery in the state prosecution of former Key West Chief Building Official Rajindhar “Raj” Ramsingh reveal that three of the island’s top real estate professionals — Terri Spottswood, Keith Bland, and Jennifer Newman of Truman & Co. Real Estate Services — were questioned by federal agents about open-permit practices and high-value property transactions during Ramsingh’s tenure at City Hall.

The reports, obtained and reviewed by Above the Fold, make clear that neither the Spottswood family nor any Truman & Co. agents are accused of wrongdoing.

Instead, the interviews appear to strengthen the state’s case against Ramsingh, who prosecutors say openly operated his own construction contracting firm while serving as the city’s top building official — a glaring conflict of interest at the heart of a widening corruption probe into Key West’s Building Department.

FBI Focus: Open Permits and the $20.6 Million Curry Mansion Sale

In a Sept. 22 interview, commercial broker Keith Bland confirmed he represented longtime owners Phil and Patsy Amsterdam in the $20.6-million sale of the Curry Mansion Inn at 511 Caroline Street to the influential Spottswood family in December 2021 — a transaction now under scrutiny in the Ramsingh case.

Bland told investigators he did not verify whether open building permits existed when the deal closed, despite city records showing two unclosed exterior renovation permits (BLD2019-3580 and BLD2020-1439) were active at the time.

He said he “thought he may have called the City Building Department” but found no record of doing so. Bland described the city’s process as “inconsistent,” noting that “every time he called, he got a different answer.”

Agents also confirmed Bland had never met Raj or Ron Ramsingh, nor Code Director Jim Young, all of whom have been indicted in the ongoing corruption probe. Bland said his only contact with Raj came in 2023, during a meeting with then–City Manager Al Childress about a separate commercial property.

Spottswood: “Closing Open Permits Not as Big of a Deal as It Used to Be”

Terri Spottswood, Truman & Co.’s principal broker, told investigators she typically advises sellers to close open permits but has never personally contacted the Building Department to confirm closures.

Spottswood said most homeowners “don’t even know they have open permits” and that she sometimes hired local contractor Kevin McChesney to resolve lingering issues. She told the FBI the city’s process “has gotten easier” and that “closing open permits is not as big of a deal as it used to be.”

Shown city permit records tied to her firm — including BLD2022-0779 at 510 Fleming Street and BLD2022-1504 at 1114 Olivia Street — Spottswood said she may have advised sellers on closure steps but denied any involvement with contractors such as Max Heller or MM Building & Roofing, who are now co-defendants in the Ramsingh indictment.

Spottswood also stated she did not know Raj or Ron Ramsingh or Jim Young “on a professional or personal basis.”

Newman: Lending Rules Raised Awareness

Jennifer Newman, another Truman & Co. agent, told the FBI she’s worked in Key West real estate for more than a decade after a career in Chicago commercial property. She said lenders began requiring closed permits “about seven or eight years ago,” as home values and mortgage sizes increased.

Newman explained that when representing buyers, she checks for open permits and asks listing agents to address them; when representing sellers, she discusses “options” but does not personally verify closure.

She was specifically questioned about her 2024 sale of 1504 18th Street, a property owned by Diana Heller, who had relocated to the Carolinas. The FBI’s interest in that sale likely stems from its possible connection to contractor Max Heller, one of Ramsingh’s alleged co-conspirators accused of falsifying inspection records.

Broader Pattern Emerges

All three interviews were conducted Sept. 22, 2025, at Truman & Co.’s offices by FBI agents Rhonda A. Squizzero and J.G. Bennett under Case File #194B-MM-3949847, part of the evidence bundle supporting the state’s case.

The interviews suggest Ramsingh’s open dual role as building official and private contractor created systemic vulnerabilities — allowing projects to advance or close permits without proper inspection or oversight.

While real-estate professionals like Spottswood, Bland, and Newman were not implicated, their interviews illustrate how routine permit ambiguities and professional trust allowed Ramsingh’s alleged misconduct to flourish in plain sight.

A former City Hall staffer familiar with the case told Above the Fold, “The problem wasn’t that agents broke the law — it’s that the man in charge of enforcing it was breaking it himself, out in the open.”

Above the Fold will continue investigating the intersection of City Hall, the real-estate industry, and the ongoing state prosecution of Raj Ramsingh.

This is an evolving story. Watch this space.