Video: Sheriff Marcos Lopez arrested
Sheriff Marcos Lopez arrested by Homeland Security Tampa
New video released by Homeland Security Tampa shows Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez after he was handcuffed and placed under arrest Thursday morning.
ORLANDO, Fla. - New video released by Homeland Security Tampa shows Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez after he was handcuffed and placed under arrest Thursday morning.
Lopez was arrested on charges related to racketeering and was suspended by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to officials.
Why was Sheriff Marcos Lopez arrested?
What we know:
A multi-agency investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and joined by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) was launched in 2023.
Officials say the investigation uncovered a criminal organization operating an illegal gambling enterprise throughout Central Florida, particularly in Lake and Osceola counties. 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.
RELATED ARTICLE: Who is Marcos Lopez, Osceola County Sheriff arrested on racketeering charges?
What's next:
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.
Senior Assistant Statewide Prosecutors Colleen Monroe and Panagiota Papakos will prosecute the defendants in Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit.
Lopez is currently being held in the Lake County Jail.
RELATED ARTICLE: Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez arrested on racketeering charges, officials say
This is not Lopez's first run-in with the law…
Dig deeper:
In 2001, Lopez was arrested in Orange County for aggravated battery and felony battery with great bodily injury.
According to the arrest report, Lopez was fighting with another man on Church Street in downtown Orlando. Lopez had allegedly struck the man on the head with a glass beer bottle.
Both Lopez and the victim sustained injuries and Lopez was placed under arrest.
Osceola Sheriff Marcos Lopez arrested, officials say
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos R. Lopez was arrested on charges related to racketeering on Thursday morning, according to officials. FOX 35 has learned he has been suspended and booked into the Lake County Jail.
RELATED ARTICLE: Christopher Blackmon appointed sheriff of Osceola County after Marcos Lopez's arrest: Who is he?
Multiple investigations as sheriff
Dig deeper:
Sheriff Lopez's office has been involved in a few investigations concerning controversial or questioned cases and law enforcement investigations.
Lopez was fined, reprimanded, and added to the state's Brady List after he mistakenly posted a photo of Madeline Soto's deceased body to his personal Instagram, as part of a photo collage from a community event. The 13-year-old Florida was reported missing in February 2024. Her body was found five days later in St. Cloud. Her mom's boyfriend, Stephan Sterns, is charged with her murder.
Sheriff responds to Maddie Soto photo claim
The Osceola County sheriff is defending himself after the State Attorney's Office accused him of being untruthful regarding the Instagram posting of a crime scene photograph in the investigation into the death of Maddie Soto.
Lopez and his office came under fire after an April 2022 shooting in the parking lot of a Target store, where two people were suspected of stealing $40 in pizza and Pokemon trading cards. That ended in a "takedown" operation, where 20-year-old Jayden Baez was shot and killed, and three others were hurt. A grand jury declined to file charges against the deputies involved in the shooting.
New interim sheriff appointed
What we know:
Christopher A. Blackmon has been appointed to Lopez's position, effective immediately.
Blackmon is the chief of the Florida Highway Patrol for the Central Florida region. He has worked in law enforcement for 35 years and oversees more than 850 troopers and 95 civilian employees.
Photo of Christopher Blackmon (Credit: FHP Orlando)
He also leads immigration-related operations across all 67 counties in Florida.
In his free time, he volunteers with groups like the Special Olympics, Clermont Little League, and Make-a-Wish. He has a college degree in Homeland Security from Vincennes University.
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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.