OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – In the wake of former Sheriff Marcos Lopez’s arrest and suspension from office, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office is working to rebuild public confidence.
Interim Sheriff Christopher Blackmon said the audit was launched in direct response to the controversy surrounding Lopez, who was arrested last year on racketeering charges connected to an illegal gambling operation.
“It’s to answer to the taxpayers because of what happened,” Blackmon said. “It’s not often a sheriff is arrested, removed from office, and charged with multiple felony counts of RICO.”
Lopez faces racketeering charges and has since pleaded not guilty to allegations that he helped run a multi-million-dollar illegal gambling network centered on arcades and casinos operating in Lake and Osceola counties.
[BELOW: Judge denies motion in suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez’s gambling case]
The audit was completed for several units in the agency, including Evidence, Forensic Financial Analysis and Information Technology.
According to Blackmon, the audit found no criminal misuse of department funds.
“I’m glad to report there was no nefarious activity with the money,” he said. “But we did have some house cleaning to do in terms of how we track the money.”
The review identified risk factors around P-Card activity. The report notes concentrated, inactive, shared, or a repeatedly high-limit P-cards, without evidence of a standardized, periodic process to assess ongoing card necessity or usage patterns. Blackmon says P-cards are a lot like credit cards, it’s an issue he says they’ve already started to fix.
When asked whether there was any misuse of the P-cards, Blackmon responded plainly: “We did not.”
[BELOW: Community reacts to Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez’s arrest]
In addition to tightening financial oversight, Blackmon reinstated the position of IT director, a role that had previously been eliminated by Lopez. He said restoring that leadership position is part of a broader effort to strengthen accountability within the agency.
When it comes to the evidence unit, Blackmon noted that everything there was 100% accounted for, which he was proud of.
While the audit addressed financial practices, Blackmon emphasized that rebuilding community confidence goes beyond numbers.
When asked how important transparency is during this time, he responded, “One hundred percent. I hate the word ‘transparent’ — instead, honesty and integrity. We will be held to the highest standard at the sheriff’s office. We will do our job and do it right.”
At this time, no additional audits are planned. However, Blackmon said the sheriff’s office will continue working to restore trust and demonstrate accountability to the community it serves.