Woman pleads guilty for stealing $23k meant for dead girl
A memorial for 8-year-old Layla Aiken
By WBBH Staff
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FORT MYERS, Florida (WBBH) — The woman accused of spending $23,000 on personal splurges from funds raised in the wake of a little girl’s death, has pleaded guilty to all charges she’s facing.
Randi Romanoff entered the plea in a Fort Myers courtroom this morning.
As part of the plea deal, Romanoff will spend 180 days in the Lee County jail, with 100 months of probation.
Romanoff will be officially sentenced on January 3, 2021. If she misses sentencing, or is charged on any additional counts, Romanoff could then get the maximum sentence, which is 20 years in state prison.
In today’s hearing, the judge told Romanoff, “If the negotiated plea had not included jail time I would not have accepted it. What you did was horrible. The people of the community when they see the go fund me account and people are in need and someone is trying to help them and they donate and something like this occurs it makes people not want to give in the future to someone else. That’s on your conscience.”
Romanoff is accused of spending money donated in the wake of Layla Aiken’s death on a slew of personal expenses and excursions.
According to the Cape Coral Police Department, Romanoff took $23,000 from the ‘Lights for Layla’ fundraiser, and spent it on vacations, video games, restaurants and attorney fees, among other personal expenses.
The Southwest Florida community was moved to action when 8-year-old Aiken was hit and killed at her Cape Coral bust stop in March 2019.
With nothing to do with their heartbreak, many quickly rushed to donate thousands of dollars to the ‘Lights for Layla’ fund, believing the funds would be used to enhance safety at school bus stops throughout the area.
Logan Hetherington, the driver who killed Layla, was released from prison earlier this year after serving a two-year term as a youthful offender.
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