It turns out the Big Pine Key speedster arrested early Friday who claimed his company was involved in the $41 million North Roosevelt Boulevard project was blowing smoke, Florida Department of Transportation officials said Monday.

"The subcontractor doing the sewer work is J.S. and L Construction, which is owned by his wife and he is not on any of the corporate papers and has nothing to do with this project," said Dean Walters, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) spokesman for the boulevard project. "His company is not involved at all and he is not connected in any way regarding this project."

John Quincy Chaney, 64, of Kendall, was arrested when he offered a deputy $30,000 at 2:23 a.m. Friday after leading him on a high-speed chase of up to 110 mph north on U.S. 1 in his black, 2008 Hummer H2, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

Chaney reportedly told an arresting deputy he was "in charge of the road construction in Key West and that he was the owner of a company doing the road work and that he [had] been at work for 72 hours."

"He made it appear to police like he was a big shot on this project, but when we really looked into it, he's not connected in any way to the project," Walters said. "It's really a non-issue concerning the project, but it took a little digging to figure it all out once we got past his arrest."

Chaney also allegedly threatened to have the arresting deputy "taken care of" and said he'd blackmail the officer by claiming he hit him with his service gun, reports said.

Chaney also talked about working for the late, infamous Colombian cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar, saying he had killed people and that he used to smuggle cocaine from Colombia into the United States, reports said.

He was charged with DUI -- reportedly his third -- fleeing and eluding, bribery of a public servant and possession of prescription drugs without a prescription.

All are felonies.

Chaney is president of State Site Development Inc., a different, separate construction company from the one his wife owns.

He was released from Monroe County Detention Center on Stock Island on Friday after posting $135,000 bail.

alinhardt@keysnews.com