FBI interview details unlicensed inspections, alleged retaliation inside Key West Building Department

An FBI interview with former city inspector Brandon Celli alleges years of unlicensed inspections, falsified affidavits, whistleblower retaliation and fatal construction failures.

An FBI interview obtained and reviewed by Above the Fold details what a former City of Key West inspector says was a sustained pattern of unlicensed inspections, retaliatory discipline, and regulatory breakdowns inside the city’s Building Department — failures he believes contributed to deadly construction incidents.

The four-page FD-302 interview summary documents a telephonic interview conducted Oct. 2, 2024, with Brandon Celli, a former Historic Architectural Review Commission inspector and building inspector for the City of Key West. The record was entered Oct. 27, 2024, as part of a joint FBI–Monroe County State Attorney investigation into corruption at City Hall, 1300 White St., commonly referred to as the Bubba Bozo Trio case.

The FBI document states it contains no conclusions or recommendations and reflects Celli’s statements to investigators.

What Celli described is sweeping — and damning.

It is a window into corruption unheard of in Key West since the disappearance of Bum Farto.

UNLICENSED INSPECTORS, THOUSANDS OF CHECKS

According to the interview, Celli began working for the city as a HARC inspector and later obtained a provisional license to conduct building inspections. He covered Old Town, while another inspector handled New Town.

Celli told agents the Building Department was understaffed when Rajindhar Ramsingh was hired as chief building official — a role Ramsingh had not previously held.

Celli said Ramsingh directed inspectors to perform threshold inspections on buildings over three stories despite not being qualified under state law to do so. Threshold inspections require state-certified special inspectors.

Celli further alleged that Ramsingh ordered him to train unlicensed inspectors, driving them around the island before they received provisional licenses and issuing them iPads to conduct inspections anyway.

Those inspectors, Celli said, went on to complete thousands of inspections across Key West.

ALLEGED FALSIFIED AFFIDAVITS

One of the inspectors Celli identified was Ed Keane, who previously worked in Code Compliance.

According to the FBI summary, Celli said Ramsingh submitted false affidavits on Keane’s prequalification application, claiming Ramsingh had known Keane for years and supervised his work — statements Celli said were untrue.

Celli told investigators Ramsingh would send Keane to inspect projects involving people Ramsingh knew, while keeping Celli away.

“Oh, I know him. He does good work,” Ramsingh allegedly said.

RETALIATION AND A WHISTLEBLOWER CASE

Celli said he raised concerns internally about unlicensed inspectors conducting inspections.

He told agents Ramsingh initially indicated Keane would be removed from the field. Instead, Celli said, he was disciplined.

According to the interview, Ramsingh enlisted Jim Young, then the city’s Code Compliance director, to follow Celli around the island in an effort to build a case to terminate him.

Celli said he ultimately hired an attorney and filed a whistleblower lawsuit, which was later settled. Celli told agents the case established that Ramsingh’s actions were retaliatory.

Celli left city employment in July 2022.

PERMITS, LICENSE LAPSES, AND A DEADLY COLLAPSE

Celli described Young as corrupt and alleged that Young acted to enable Ramsingh’s actions.

Celli told agents Young had building permits for his home on Thomas Street, and that Ramsingh stopped sending Celli to inspect the property after Celli asked questions about those permits.

Celli also alleged that Ramsingh operated for roughly six months without an active license due to missing continuing-education credits.

According to the interview, the last order Ramsingh signed during that period preceded a wall collapse at 1125 Duval St. that killed a construction worker.

Celli told agents he believes other deaths may also be linked to regulatory failures, including the death of Robert Billy, who died from electrical shock while working on Virginia Street.

FIRINGS, REPORTS, AND WARNINGS IGNORED

Celli said a previous city manager (Albert Childress) attempted to fire Ramsingh for operating without a license and for overreaching into planning and zoning authority — but that the Childress was subsequently fired.

He told investigators the city later hired an outside review panel, whose findings were detailed in the Corradino Report.

That report, Celli said, concluded Ramsingh was overstepping the authority of the Building Department — conclusions that were later echoed by other city officials and witnesses interviewed by federal investigators.

To date, the Corradino report has yet to see the light of day in public discussion.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Celli’s FBI interview mirrors themes that have emerged repeatedly in the federal corruption probe at City Hall:

• Concentrated power inside the Building Department

• Suppression of internal dissent

• Retaliation against whistleblowers

• Regulatory failures with real-world consequences

The FD-302 places those allegations years before federal indictments, raising questions about how long warnings went unheeded — and how many inspections, permits and lives may have been affected.

Federal authorities have not commented on the substance of Celli’s statements. The FBI document states it is bureau property and not to be distributed outside authorized agencies.