Florida sheriff Marcos Lopez was arrested June 5 and charged with racketeering in connection with an alleged massive gambling operation and public corruption scheme that generated more than $21 million in profits, according to a release from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office.
The Osceola County sheriff was charged with one count of racketeering and one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering, both second-degree felonies. Gov. Ron DeSantis followed the arrest with an executive order suspending Lopez and replacing him with Christopher Blackmon, the central region chief for the Florida Highway Patrol.
Who is Marcos Lopez?
Former Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez has been charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering for his alleged role in a massive Central Florida gambling operation, according to the State Attorney General’s Office.
Marcos Radame Lopez, 56, was born in Chicago and grew up in central Florida, according to his now-removed biography on the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office website.
Lopez enlisted in the U.S. Navy when he was 17, his bio said. He served for 22 years on active duty and the reserves, working as a linguist and training in explosive ordinances, counterterrorism, and supervising logistical operations. He supported operation Iraqi freedom, Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom as a law enforcement specialist attached to the Centcom Logistical Support Group Forward, he told VoterFocus.com.
He received a degree in Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement in 2003 from Valencia College, according to his LinkedIn account, and joined the sheriff’s office the same year. For more than 16 years, Lopez also served as a firearms and defensive tactics instructor while working as an investigator.
Former Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez.
Since 2019, he has also operated Lo-Jeng Tech, a security consultant business that trains small businesses, churches and nonprofits on how to handle active shooters, cybersecurity and other security matters.
After failing to win election in 2016, Lopez was first elected as sheriff in 2020, defeating Luiz “Tony” Fernandez to became the first Hispanic sheriff in the Osceola County and Florida. Lopez was re-elected in 2024, defending his position from Republican challenger Donnie Martinez.
During his terms, Lopez started the Real Time Crime Center and added specialty units to the OCSO, including the Tactical Anti-Crime Unit, Osceola County Narcotics Bureau, and a fugitive extradition program with Puerto Rico, according to his bio. He also launched anti-bullying initiatives and the all-female police academy Woman on Watch.
Why was a Florida sheriff arrested? What we know about Marcos Lopez, alleged gambling scheme
Has Marcos Lopez come under fire before?
Lopez and the OCSO have been in the spotlight several times in recent years.
In December 2024, Lopez pleaded no contest to a civil infraction and agreed to pay a $250 fine for posting a photo of a dead body on his personal Instagram page, FOX 35 Orlando and WFTV reported.
The image was of 13-year-old Madeline Soto, who disappeared in February 2024 from her home in Kissimmee. Her body was found days later, and the boyfriend of the girl’s mother was charged with her death.
After Lopez claimed, on the air, in an interview on a radio station that he didn’t post the picture — even though the OCSO had already apologized for it — he was placed on the Brady List, a state list of the local law enforcement officers who may not be suitable as witnesses in criminal cases due to past actions, WFTV reported.
As of June 6, Lopez is still listed on the Brady List as having made false statements. Lopez, a Democrat, has claimed the move was politically based.
In June 2024, Lopez was accused of making lewd comments about a nude photo of a young female civilian employee in 2022, according to WFTV. Former deputy Samantha Sanchez found the picture on the phone of her then-boyfriend, former deputy Alex Valentin, along with text messages reportedly of Valentin and Lopez exchanging such photos and commenting on them.
Sanchez said she took a screenshot of the alleged conversation and later reported it to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement when she was fired in what she said was retaliatory action after she told a female deputy about the conversation. Lopez has denied the accusations and the FDLE declined to investigate after the civilian employee failed to press charges, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Lopez and the OCSO were sued in January on behalf of a motorcyclist who was burned on more than 75% of his body after Osceola County deputies fired a Taser at him while he was filling up his motorcycle, WFTV reported.
Lopez and the sheriff’s office also came under scrutiny in 2022 after a 20-year-old was shot and killed by deputies, according to local television station WESH. Authorities said the 20-year-old and the group he was with were accused of stealing pizza and Pokémon cards from a Target store in Kissimmee, WESH reported.
A grand jury declined to file charges in the case, according to WESH, but criticized the sheriff’s office for its handling of the incident. The grand jury recommended policy and procedure changes for shootings involving law enforcement, WESH reported.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida sheriiff charged with racketeering. Who is Marcos Lopez?