A Florida judge set a $1 million bond for Marcos Lopez, the suspended sheriff of Osceola County, following his arrest on felony racketeering charges. If Lopez posts bond, he will be required to wear a GPS monitor and must surrender his passport and any firearms in his possession to law enforcement, according to the judge. He must also disclose the source of the funds used to post bail. Lopez was allegedly part of a “massive Central Florida gambling operation” for years, according to the Florida Attorney General’s Office and the criminal complaint. Sheriff Marcos – and others – face charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. 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. Christopher Blackmon, the Central Region Chief for the Florida Highway Patrol was appointed as the Osceola County Sheriff, according to DeSantis’ office. He is a 35-year law enforcement veteran and leads more than 850 sworn troopers and 95 civilian employees. Blackmon also serves as the FHP Statewide Immigration Incident Commander for all 67 counties. LiveNOW’s Andrew Craft spoke about Lopez’s arrest.
