FORT MYERS, Fla. — Randi Romanoff was sentenced to 180 days in county jail Monday after pleading guilty to fraud in connection to a fundraiser in the wake of a little girl’s death.
Romanoff entered into a guilty plea in November. She was officially sentenced Monday.
As part of the plea deal, Romanoff was sentenced to 180 days in the Lee County jail with a 35-day credit of time served, and a combined 154 months of probation. She will also have to pay $20,000 in restitution.
Romanoff was accused of spending money donated in the wake of 8-year-old Layla Aiken’s death on a slew of personal expenses and excursions.
Romanoff was arrested in August 2020 for defrauding the “Lights for Layla,” a charity intended to raise money for lights to make bus stops safer in Lee County following the hit-and-run death of Aiken.
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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