FROM CREATIVITY TO CLEANUP FISHING THE FLORIDAKEYS Irma changes an The cold is making arts residencyiN forsome brisk the Tortugas, 4A island fishing, 1B VOLUME 65-NO.5 STAY CONNECTED /KEYSINFONET NEWSAll DAY. YOUR WAY. WWW.FLKEYSNEWS.COM FACEBOOK.COM WEDNESDAY JANUARY17,2018 50 cents THE FLORIDAKEYS 7786790 22222 CRIME FRONT LESSONS FROM IRMA AKeyswomaN,a County official: pill mill, homicide Defying and abikegang evacuation Beverly Augello allegedly picked up paymentfor man and Ferdinand Augello order is the killing of adoctor’s wife. Prosecutorssay he was had arelationship which cen- Augello trying to to coveruphis drug ring. tered on James Kauffman’s medical practice,” prosecutors ‘Russian cutors said. said. “In the summer of 2011, BY GWEN FILOSA “Ultimately, James Kauff- James Kauffman solicited [email protected] man made the decision to kill Ferdinand Augello to murder roulette’ April Kauffman and, based on Kauffman’s wife, April Kauff- ASummerland Key artist information and belief, Kauff- man. This appears to be for was arrested last week after man told Augello that April numerous reasons largely Debris removal, communication and prosecutors in Atlantic City, threatened to expose the ille- centered on April Kauffman’s housing issues dominate aBig Pine N.J., said she is connected to gal [oxycontin] distribution threats of divorce. James Keymeeting with county officials. the 2012 murder of awoman network they had established,” Kauffman stated he would allegedly ordered by her doc- according to alengthy state- sooner kill April than grant the tor husband when she threat- ment released Jan. 10 by At- divorce and lose ‘half his em- BY GWEN FILOSA ened to expose his pill mill- lantic City Prosecutor Damon pire.’ ” [email protected] dealing ring. G. Tyner. April Kauffman was fatally Beverly Augello, 47,anative The allegations against a shot twice inside her Linwood, Re-entry afteraCategory 4disaster of Orange, N.J., who had been group of people reads like it N.J., home on May 10, 2012, like Hurricane Irma can affect public living in the Florida Keys, is was torn from the pages of a and the case ended up with a safety in the form of homes being accused of picking up the pay- crime thriller as prosecutors Keys connection. looted and also hinderefforts to re- ment for her ex-husband, a said James Kauffman made The alleged hitman, Francis Ferdinand Augello storeutilities, said MonroeCounty Pagans motorcycle club mem- sure his wife, April, was shot Mullholland, had said he re- Emergency Management Director ber who was arrested for dead to keep her from spilling ceived approximately MartySenterfitt. recruiting the hit man. to police about the prescription $20,000 in cash for his role, Senterfitt stood his ground on the She is charged with first- pill-dealing arrangement he though this number has been mandatory evacuation order that was degree racketeering and was allegedly had with the Pagans. speculated at being higher, in place beforethe Sept.10Category arrested Jan. 9. The arrest Eight people have been Tyner’s office said. Mull- 4storm hammered Big Pine Key and warrant’s notes read, “illegal arrested and charged with holland has since died. otherspots in the FloridaKeys.Those distribution of narcotics and a taking part in the murder and The murder payment was who survived unscathed were lucky, murder,” according to the also conspiracy and racketeer- picked up on the day of the he suggested. Monroe County Sheriff’s Of- ing: James Kauffman and Fer- murder by Beverly Augello, “That’s like putting agun to your fice. dinand Augello, 61, who is along with additional scripts head and when you win you say, ‘I’m Tuesday, Augello remained Beverly Augello’s ex, are that were used to obtain drugs smart,’ ” Senterfitt told acrowdof locked up without bond at the charged with pulling off the that day, and the money was more than 100 Lower Keys residents Stock Island Detention Center murder. given to Ferdinand Augello, at atwo-hour meetingMonday night awaiting extradition to New Ferdinand Augello is also prosecutors said. at Keys CommunityChurch. Jersey. charged with conspiracy to Tyner’s office decided to “No, you’re not. You shouldn’tbe Dr. James Kauffman, 68, murder James Kauffman, al- put the pieces of the puzzle playing the game,” he said.“You would rather have his wife though prosecutors offered no together. need to listen to what we’retelling murdered than go through an details on the plot. you.” acrimonious divorce, prose- “Prior to 2011,James Kauff- SEE AUGELLO, 2A Kauffman Awoman in the back said in 50 yearsonBig Pine,Irma marked the firsttime shefled the Keys pre-storm. “I promise Iwon’tdothat again,” said the woman, who wouldn’t give OURENVIRONMENT her name to areporter. Senterfitt’s comments came after the woman’s show of Reservoir plans defiance. Issues such as hous- ing, post-storm commu- nication with the public won’tsave bay, and debris removal dominated ameeting that at momentsturned Keys guides fear emotional. Gastesi When County Admin- istratorRoman Gastesi Florida Keys and mainland More than100 guides from said of debris removal, which remains fishing guides contend the Keys and Southwest Flor- an issue in the Lower Keys, “It’s more proposals forfreshwater ida’s Captainsfor Clean Water frustratingtousthanitistoyou,” the storage area near Lake group met with conservation- crowdroared back, “No.” Okeechobee fall shortof ists Jan. 9inIslamorada to The meeting was amongseveral the restoration goals. review plans for the storage- county held to elicit feedbackabout and-treatment reservoir newly the storm andofficials’ response. The forwarded by the South Florida BENNY BLANCO Captains forClean Water goal,officialssaid, is to form aMon- BY KEVIN WADLOW Water Management District, Fishing guides meeting Jan. 9inIslamorada sign aletter to Gov. roeCounty emergency reserve corps [email protected] the state agency overseeing Rick Scott seeking his supportinupgrading areservoir plan of sorts, perhaps 50 to 100 people Everglades system restoration deemed critical to protecting Florida Bayand coastal estuaries. who, like in thedays of all-volunteer Proposed designs for acostly efforts. Currentdesigns won’t do the job,guides contend. fire departments, couldstep up when freshwater reservoir south of “What the Water Manage- dangerous storms arise and help offi- Lake Okeechobee won’tget the ment District is talking about is cialssteerthe response. job done for Florida Bay, many one of the most disturbing Thomas Van Lent, aKey man said. “We need cattailsto Askedwhat theylikedabout the Florida Keys fishingguides thingsI’ve seen,” Friedman Largo resident who serves as serve as the cleaning agentfor post-Irma response, several people agree. said. “It’s really scary.... When chief scientisttothe nonprofit the water, and cattails can’t “We need to do this the way you look at the models of exist- Everglades Foundation, said at grow in water 14 feet deep.” SEE LOWER KEYS,2A it’s supposed to be done,” Steve ing and future water flows into the meetingthat currentpro- Some of the proposed mod- Friedman, commodore of the Florida Bay, to the naked eye posals to build asmallerbut els would go as deep as 23 feet, Florida Keys FishingGuides you can’tsee arealdifference deeper reservoir “were un- accordingtoaWaterManage- Association,said Tuesday. for the bay.” tenable and specifically would ment District summaryissued “Our livelihooddepends on The guides signed an open not allow adequate cleansing this week. Alarger, shallower Classifieds 6B it,” Friedman said. “We know lettertoGov. Rick Scott asking for stored water before being reservoir is critical,conserva- Living 1B the condition of [Florida] Bay. him to intervene in the process sent to the Florida Bay,” ac- tion-group scientists contend. Opinion 7A We want to see it improve and to ensure the reservoir achieves cordingtothe Florida Keys Florida legislators approved Puzzles 2B PrintedoN we know we have to get in- its intended environmental guides group. Puzzles 100% recycled volved to make it happen.” function. “We need sheet flow,” Fried- SEE FLORIDABAY,2A answers 2B newsprint 305-743 - 5680 www.DiscountDemolitions.com Lic#CGC1523252 DEMOLITION SITE WORK HAULING DUMPSTERS 2A KEYNOTER WEDNESDAY JANUARY172018 Keys News FLKEYSNEWS.COM KN LOWER KEYS Police: Carthief expands his crime spree Adrian Diaz faces ahost aged to elude deputies, the same vehicle caught on caught. police said. of charges,including theft refusing to stop and driving video burglarizing his vehi- Diaz was carrying a Diaz faces additional of acar and handguns,and dangerously when he fled cle had just turned around backpack. Inside, detec- charges including grand so does his friend. from them,” said Deputy at the end of his street and tives found three hand- theft, two counts grand Becky Herrin, spokeswo- drove past him, almost guns, one of which was theft of afirearm, theft, man for the Sheriff’s Of- hitting him. He said amale stolen from one of the two counts armed burglary BY GWEN FILOSA fice. was driving and afemale vehicles burglarized on of avehicle, burglary of a [email protected] Detectives obtained Diaz Gartenmayer was apassenger. Calle Uno Drive overnight, vehicle, three counts pos- incriminating videos Diaz The vehicle was spotted the agency said. Also in the session of afirearm by a The Monroe County had taken of himself with guns were stolen from two at 3:30 p.m. southbound on backpack were more than convicted felon, and sale Sheriff’s Office caught a the stolen Lexus, the agen- of the burglarized vehicles. the Boca Chica Bridge. 250grams of marijuana. and possession of marijua- Big Coppitt Key man the cy said. His bond is set at The video shows avehicle Detective David Cruz got Herrin said Gartenmayer na. agency says pulled off a $140,000. and asuspect in the case behind it as it entered the admitted to detectives that Gartenmayer faces crime spree, complete with In addition to being entering the two vehicles, city of Key West.