BREAKING: Former Key West Building Official, Local Contractor Indicted in $50,000 Fraud Scheme
Grand jury indicts former Key West building official Raj Ramsingh and contractor George Beys in an alleged $50,000 fraud scheme.
A Monroe County grand jury on Wednesday indicted former Key West Chief Building Official Rajindhar “Raj” Ramsingh and contractor George Beys, owner of George’s Plumbing, on felony charges alleging they conspired in an organized fraud scheme exceeding $50,000.
According to the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office, the two men are charged with conspiracy to commit organized fraud, a second-degree felony, and organized fraud, a first-degree felony.
Prosecutors allege that between April 2 and June 2, 2024, Ramsingh and Beys engaged in a coordinated scheme to defraud one or more victims through false representations, obtaining cash, services or other property valued at more than $50,000.
A capias warrant was issued for Beys and signed by Judge Mark Wilson, ordering law enforcement to take him into custody. His bond was set at $50,000. Prosecutors did not seek a new capias for Ramsingh, who they said remains under court supervision from prior criminal proceedings.
“If convicted,” the State Attorney’s Office said, the conspiracy count carries a sentence of up to 15 years in state prison, while the organized fraud charge carries a maximum of 30 years. Both offenses may also require full restitution to any victims.
Assistant State Attorney and Major Crimes Prosecutor Colleen Dunne said the indictment demonstrates prosecutors’ ongoing efforts to unravel complex public-corruption and financial-crime cases in the Keys.
“This indictment reflects our continued commitment to pursuing complex financial crimes that undermine public trust,” Dunne said in a statement. “We will continue to follow the evidence wherever it leads and present those findings to the Grand Jury as appropriate.”
Ramsingh, once the city’s top building official, has been a central figure in several investigations and prior indictments that prompted sweeping scrutiny of Key West’s permitting and code-enforcement systems.
The State Attorney’s Office emphasized that an indictment is only a formal accusation and that both men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office under State Attorney Dennis Ward.
This is an evolving story. Watch this space.