U.S. Marshals Service official sidelined over alleged role in racist incident, sources say

November 9, 2026 / 6:12 PM EST / CBS News

One of the top officials at the U.S. Marshals Service has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation over his alleged involvement in a racist incident targeting a Black colleague, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.

Peter Marketos, the assistant director of the Investigative Operations Division, was relieved of his duties after he was allegedly involved in an incident in which a watermelon was left on the desk of a deputy assistant director, who is Black. That employee worked directly under Marketos in the same division, the sources said.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the incident — which some deputies are calling "watermelon-gate." It was also not immediately clear whether Marketos placed the fruit himself, or if it was placed by someone else under his supervision.

"The U.S. Marshals Service takes seriously any allegation of misconduct by USMS personnel," a spokesperson said.

"The alleged actions do not reflect the core values of the USMS: Justice, Integrity and Service. While we recognize the public interest in transparency and accountability, federal privacy laws prohibit discussion of personnel matters."

CBS News has reached out to Marketos and…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/