Florida deputy fired after allegedly framing innocent man as part of a revenge plot

A Florida deputy was fired and arrested after an investigation revealed his alleged role in an effort to frame an innocent man, authorities said.

Former Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputy Niko Irizarry, 25, was arrested Friday on a charge of felony official misconduct. He was terminated that same day after being placed on leave, Sheriff Carmine Marceno said.

The charge against Irizarry stems from a Dec. 16 arrest when the deputy took a man into custody on narcotics charges, the sheriff said Friday at a news conference.

In early January, internal affairs received a complaint that led the sheriff’s office to believe that the arrest was unlawful. An investigation found that Irizarry conspired with two other men, Charles Custodio and Scott Snider, to arrest the victim because Custodio “had a personal hatred” for the victim, Marceno said.

Custodio allegedly obtained a large number of drugs and gave them to Snider, the sheriff said. Snider then posed as a real estate client and met up with the victim, who worked as a real estate broker.

After Snider planted the drugs in the victim’s car, Custodio contacted Irizarry and provided the victim’s location so the deputy could make the arrest, the sheriff said.

“The task force conducted a thorough investigation revealing an elaborate conspiracy to plant illegal drugs in the victim’s vehicle and arrange for a traffic stop on that vehicle after the drugs were planted,” Marceno said. “The task force utilized state-of-the-art technology … to reveal the true names of those involved to identify and access bogus email accounts and text messages.”

Irizarry and Custodio were arrested in Lee County and Snider was arrested in Texas.

Custodio and Snider were both charged with trafficking in fentanyl, possession of a controlled substance, and conspiracy, according to the sheriff.

Attorney information was not available for either of the men.

The union representing the sheriff’s office declined to comment.

Marceno said Irizarry joined the office in 2018 and left briefly to go to another agency before returning in 2020. He did not have any previous disciplinary actions with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.