A senior official at the U.S. Marshals Service has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation into his alleged involvement in a racist incident targeting a Black colleague, according to sources. Peter Marketos, assistant director of the agency's Investigative Operations Division, was relieved of his duties after a watermelon was left on the desk of a Black deputy assistant director who worked under him in the same division.
The incident, which some deputy marshals have reportedly taken to calling “watermelon-gate,” remains murky in key respects. According to CBS News, investigators have not established what prompted the incident, nor have they determined whether Marketos personally placed the watermelon himself or whether someone under his supervision did so. Watermelon imagery carries a long history of use in derogatory racial stereotypes against Black Americans, a point not lost on deputy marshals familiar with the matter, who reportedly believe the incident reflects disturbing racist behavior that should not be tolerated.
Agency Response and an Unverified Expectation of Termination
A U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson said the agency takes seriously any allegation of misconduct by USMS personnel, adding that the alleged actions do not reflect the agency's values of justice, integrity and service. The spokesperson also said federal privacy laws prohibit discussion of personnel matters, per the same report. CBS News noted it reached out to both Marketos and the target of the alleged incident for comment.
One source told the outlet that Marketos' biography has since been removed from the agency's website, and that he is expected to be terminated — though that outcome has not been confirmed. The U.S. Marshals Service operates under the Department of Justice.
A Two-Decade Career Now in Question
Marketos served at the U.S. Marshals Service for more than two decades, beginning his career as a deputy U.S. marshal in 2002. Over the years he oversaw sex offender investigations, fugitive apprehensions and tactical operations, and he previously served as acting associate director for investigations. In March 2023 he was assigned as acting U.S. marshal for the District of Columbia before being named assistant director of the Investigative Operations Division later that year; this year he was also designated acting U.S. marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia. He testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2025.
The division Marketos led oversees some of the agency's core law enforcement functions, including fugitive investigations and efforts to track and arrest wanted criminals. Staff were informed that Don Snider would assume leadership of the Investigative Operations Division starting Monday, Nov. 9, according to a source familiar with the change. Snider previously held the title of chief inspector and was commander of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, which coordinates federal, state and local law enforcement efforts to apprehend violent fugitives in the Washington metropolitan area.
Echoes of Past Discrimination Fights at the Agency
The allegations against Marketos land against a backdrop of long-running claims of racial discrimination within the Marshals Service. In 1998, a jury awarded Matthew Fogg $4 million after he spent roughly 13 years fighting to prove racism had derailed his career at the agency, as detailed by the Washington Post. More than 30 people testified in that case, and a judge later described the environment for Black employees as hostile. A class action bearing Fogg's name has continued moving forward, with the Post reporting that more than 10,000 people may have a stake in the outcome.
