What is racketeering? Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez arrested on related charges
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez was suspended from his position and arrested on racketeering charges Thursday morning, according to officials.
Christopher Blackmon, a longtime law enforcement leader with the Florida Highway Patrol, has been appointed as the new sheriff.
FOX 35 is actively tracking this story and continuing to provide the latest live updates.
LATEST HEADLINES
- Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez arrested on racketeering charges, officials say
- Who is Marcos Lopez, Osceola County Sheriff arrested on racketeering charges?
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What is racketeering?
What we know:
Unlike most other crimes, racketeering refers to a pattern of illegal activity as part of a larger enterprise and not one specific crime.
Racketeering is a coordinated scheme, often involving organized crime, where individuals engage in a pattern of illegal activities to make a profit.
The crime is characterized by a series of illegal acts carried out to generate ongoing revenue, such as extortion, fraud or bribery.
Notable figures charged with racketeering
Big picture view:
Several prominent individuals have been arrested and convicted on racketeering charges.
Notable people include John Gotti, a notorious mobster, who was arrested and convicted on multiple counts of racketeering. Additionally, R. Kelly, a famous singer, was found guilty of racketeering charges.
What happened?
The backstory:
Sheriff Lopez was arrested on Thursday morning and is currently being held in the Lake County Jail.
The arrest comes after a multi-agency investigation that was launched in 2023, which uncovered a criminal organization operating an illegal gambling enterprise throughout Central Florida. Officials say the organization generated more than $21.6 million in illicit proceeds.
Following Lopez's election as Osceola County Sheriff in November 2020, investigators say he continued to advance the interests of the criminal organization and collected a portion of the illegal gambling proceeds for his involvement.
Lopez is being charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering, according to officials with the Federal Department of Justice (FDOJ) and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. He has also been suspended from his role.
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez was arrested on Thursday morning on charges related to racketeering, according to officials. (Credit: Lake County Jail)
Who is Marcos Lopez?
Dig deeper:
Lopez was born in Chicago and raised in Central Florida.
After obtaining an associate degree in criminal justice, Lopez joined the Osceola County Sheriff's Office in 2003 while serving in the Navy Reserve.
He has served as sheriff since 2021 and became the first Hispanic sheriff in the county and the state.
Lopez has three children, two of whom are University of Central Florida (UCF) graduates.
Osceola County sheriff arrested in alleged gambling operation
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos R. Lopez was arrested on charges related to racketeering on Thursday morning, according to officials.
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The Source: This story was written based on information gathered from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office website and shared by the Federal Department of Justice (FDOJ), Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.