Cape Coral woman accused of misusing ‘Lights for Layla’ funds bonds out of jail

A Cape Coral woman accused of misusing money she raised in the name of a girl killed at a school bus stop has bonded out of jail five weeks after her arrest.

Lee County Jail records show Randi Romanoff was released Tuesday just after 1 p.m. Her bond had been set at $65,000.

Romanoff is accused of grand theft and fraud after creating the Lights for Layla nonprofit in 2019 and using funds for her own personal gain.

Lights For Layla, Inc. was created in the wake of the March 2019 death of Layla Aiken, an 8-year-old girl who was hit and killed by a car at her school bus stop in Cape Coral.

The nonprofit was able to generate more than $72,000 that donors believed would go toward helping to improve bus stop safety.

While some of the funds did actually go to the Aiken family, other funds were used for beach resorts, toll violations, retail shopping and an Xbox.

The case has been forwarded to the State’s Attorney’s Office. Romanoff was arrested Aug. 28 on unrelated charges and was served in early September with the new ones while still in jail.

Those charges include grand theft, scheming to defraud, and multiple counts of violation of the Solicitation of Contributions Act. She is due in court in December.