Florida sheriff charged with racketeering in illegal gambling, corruption probe

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Florida sheriff charged with racketeering in illegal gambling, corruption probe
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A sheriff in central Florida was arrested and charged in connection with an alleged massive gambling operation and public corruption scheme that generated more than $21 million in profits, authorities announced on June 5.
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez was charged with one count of racketeering and one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's office said in a statement. Online inmate records showed that Lopez was booked into a jail in nearby Lake County, Florida, on the morning of June 5.
He is being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on June 30, according to inmate records. It is unclear if Lopez has an attorney.
Uthmeier's office noted that the investigation remains ongoing and other charges may be announced at a later date.
Lopez allegedly initially participated in the operation for personal payouts and campaign contributions before later using his position to "shield the enterprise from law enforcement," according to Uthmeier's office. Lopez was elected sheriff in 2020 and re-elected in 2024.
Following his arrest, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order suspending Lopez from his position. The governor appointed Christopher Blackmon, the central region chief for the Florida Highway Patrol, as the county's sheriff.
Osceola County Manager Don Fisher said in a statement that the county had no role in the investigation as the sheriff is a separate constitutional officer and apart from the county or the county commission. He added that county officials were prepared to support Blackmon as the interim sheriff.
The Osceola County Sheriff's Office did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on June 5.
"As law enforcement, we are held to higher standards of integrity and character than other professions. This case revealed that Lopez violated the trust and integrity expected of him as the duly elected sheriff of Osceola County," Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass said in a statement. "Florida's sheriffs are leaders for not only their office and deputies, but for their community and the citizens that elected them."
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'Multifaceted role in expanding and protecting this illegal enterprise'
Uthmeier's office accused Lopez of playing a "multifaceted role in expanding and protecting this illegal enterprise." Prosecutors said the alleged criminal organization was uncovered in 2023 in a multi-agency investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the support of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The investigation revealed that the organization was operating an illegal gambling enterprise in central Florida, particularly in Lake and Osceola Counties, according to prosecutors. The operation allegedly generated more than $21.6 million in illicit proceeds.
Following his election as sheriff in November 2020, prosecutors said Lopez "continued to advance the interests" of the organization and collected a portion of the gambling proceeds for his involvement.
Four people whom Uthmeier described as the sheriff's associates were also charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering, according to state charging documents. The four were identified as Ying Zhang, Sharon Fedrick, Sheldon Wetherholt, and Carol Cote.
The charging documents state that the operation started in at least 2019 and continued until at least 2024. Beginning around June 2022, Lopez and his four associates owned or managed a "gambling house" out of a business known as Fusion Social Club or Eclipse Social Club, according to the charging documents.
The business, which conducted a lottery and possessed a slot machine, was located in Kissimmee in central Florida's Osceola County, just south of Orlando, the charging documents stated.
In a social media post on June 5, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security shared a video showing HSI agents arresting Lopez.
"Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, no one is above the law — including public officials," the department said in the post.
Prosecutors said other arrest warrants are expected to be served in the coming days. Inmate records showed that Fedrick and Cote were booked into Lake County Jail on the afternoon and night of June 5. The two were also being held without bond and are expected to appear in court on June 30.
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Lopez, who was born in Chicago and grew up in central Florida, was first elected as sheriff in 2020, according to his biography on the Osceola County Sheriff's Office website. He was sworn in on January 5, 2021, and became the first Hispanic sheriff in the county and state.
Lopez joined the sheriff's office in 2003 while he was serving in the Navy Reserve, the website stated. He previously served 22 years in the U.S. military and received multiple awards and accolades throughout his career, according to the website.
Lopez and the Osceola County Sheriff's Office have been involved in other investigations 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.
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.
"Our conclusion bluntly is that this should not have happened," the grand jury report states, according to Central Florida Public Media. "Our findings uncovered grave concerns about whether the appropriate amount of force was used to apprehend misdemeanor shoplifters and how insufficient training around vehicle blocks and lack of communication needlessly created circumstances where a deputy was faced with death or great bodily harm."