Central Florida sheriff arrested as part of gambling probe
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KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A sheriff in central Florida was arrested Thursday on charges of racketeering and conspiracy as part of what state authorities described as a probe into a massive gambling operation.
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez was arrested on first-degree felonies and taken to the jail in nearby Lake County, Florida. Osceola County is south of Orlando, and part of the county is home to Walt Disney World.
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Lopez took campaign contributions and personal payments as well as protected the gambling operation, according to a statement put out by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
The organization generated more than $21.6 million in illicit proceeds.
Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Lopez in an executive order and appointed a Florida Highway Patrol official to be the county’s sheriff.
The organization took in more than $21.6 million in illicit proceeds, authorities said.
“As law enforcement, we are held to higher standards of integrity and character than other professions,” Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass said in a statement. “This case revealed that Lopez violated the trust and integrity expected of him as the duly elected sheriff of Osceola County.”
An inquiry sent to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office wasn’t initially answered.
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