Former Osceola County sheriff Marcos Lopez decided to keep one of his defense attorneys in his racketeering trial despite her firm having briefly represented two key prosecution witnesses — former members of his security detail.
Lopez appeared in court Tuesday for the first time since his release from the Lake County jail after being called in to discuss the past legal counsel of former deputies Kyle Henry and Douglas Ford by Perez LaSure Law, one of the firms that make up Lopez’s legal team.
The inquiry, brought by the Office of Statewide Prosecution, sought to clarify the role of Perez LaSure in Ford and Henry’s prosecutions for allegedly spying on Ford’s wife using agency-linked surveillance cameras.
Their cases are unrelated to Lopez’s racketeering case, where he’s accused of helming and protecting an illegal gambling operation that spanned several counties. But prosecutors looked to address the matter on record before proceeding, with much of the hearing taking place in Circuit Judge Brian Welke’s chambers in order to discuss potentially confidential information.
Douglas Ford, a former Osceola County deputy and former member of Marcos Lopez’s security detail, answers questions from the prosecuting attorney during a hearing for the former Osceola County Sheriff on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)
“We understand that Mr. Lopez is entitled to counsel of his choosing, but he is also entitled to a fair trial that does not include an attorney that has a conflict,” Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Panagiota Papakos said once the hearing returned to open court.
Migdalia Perez, a partner at Perez LaSure Law, assured the judge there was no conflict. Records show the firm represented Ford for about a week in July 2024 before another attorney stepped in as legal counsel.
As for Henry, arrested months after Lopez was indicted, the firm began representing him in September only to withdraw from the case a month later, after Henry and Ford were named as “category A witnesses” in Lopez’s case.
“My involvement was very, very limited,” Perez said of Ford’s case. As for Henry’s, “my law partner immediately withdrew from that case, which is required under the rules of professional conduct.”
The two former deputies were known members of Lopez’s inner circle during his time in office, serving as members of the agency’s outreach unit who doubled as the sheriff’s security. Ford, who briefly testified in court, said he also served as Lopez’s driver, despite working specifically in veterans outreach while Henry worked with youth in the community.
“I mainly worked with veterans, which gave me flexibility to assist in being with the sheriff at certain events and at those events, obviously, the duties were to keep him safe,” Ford said.
Ford’s time at the Sheriff’s Office ended in 2024 following his arrest. While Henry’s case is directly tied to Ford’s, for some reason he wasn’t arrested and charged until September under current Sheriff Christopher Blackmon, appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis the day Lopez was indicted for racketeering.
According to an arrest affidavit, in 2024 Ford and Henry tapped into surveillance cameras and discussed the footage among themselves after Ford suspected his wife, a reserve deputy and training coordinator, was cheating on him with a Kissimmee police lieutenant. Ford was charged with 10 counts of accessing a computer system without authority and single counts of domestic battery and aggravated stalking.
The latter two charges were later dropped. In January 2025, he pleaded no contest to one of the cybercrimes in exchange for withheld judgment, probation and surrendering his law enforcement certification. Henry’s case is ongoing.
Lopez, who pleaded not guilty, is the sole defendant out of several alleged co-conspirators still awaiting trial on the racketeering charges. The rest, including his estranged wife Robin Severance-Lopez, have either pleaded guilty in exchange for turning state’s witness or — in the case of one co-defendant — is believed to have fled the country.
No trial date has been set, as his defense continues to review the evidence and conduct depositions.
“How close are we to setting this for trial?” Welke asked.
“Not close,” Perez replied. The next status hearing is scheduled for May 19.
The accusations against Lopez are extensive. Investigators weaved text messages, videos, financial documents, witness statements and more to establish the former sheriff’s alleged double life as a gambling boss, which began in 2019 while launching his ultimately successful bid as Osceola County’s top cop.
The case involves an illegal casino in Kissimmee called The Eclipse, which the Orlando Sentinel revealed — based on what was publicly known about the investigation — was selected after a woman was killed in a shootout on the property. Once it was established, prosecutors allege Lopez used his office to protect it, even from his own deputies, until it was raided in August 2024.
It’s not clear what testimony about the operation can be elicited from Ford and Henry, and neither have been named in the 250-page affidavit outlining the allegations.