The scandal rocked San Marcos FC, a team recently promoted to Liga Primera, the top tier of Nicaraguan soccer. Its top executive, Kevin Mendieta Puerto—who is also Fidel Moreno’s right-hand man in Nicaraguan soccer—is accused of smuggling, organized crime, and money laundering. According to court documents obtained by DIVERGENTES, the Public Prosecutor’s Office accuses him of forming a network that trafficked shoes, clothing, and handbags from Managua to Costa Rica.
Although the case file with case number 000043-0510-2026, filed with the Tenth Criminal Court of Managua, states that Mendieta Puerto is charged along with six other individuals, including his wife Yazoara López, the court document that links him for the first time to these illicit operations is 021772-ORM4-2025-PN, created in December 2025 and filed with the Tenth District Criminal Court.
In that initial proceeding, Sabinito de Jesús Ramírez Lazo is accused of belonging to this network and of being responsible for transporting the illegal goods from Managua to Costa Rica.
“The Public Prosecutor’s Office has filed formal charges against Sabinito de Jesús Ramírez Lazo (in custody), Kevin Ramón Mendieta Puerto (at large), Silvio Mendieta Méndez (at large), José Antonio Brenes Bermúdez (at large), and Jairo Javier Morales Castro (at large) for allegedly being co-perpetrators of the crime of smuggling to the detriment of the State of Nicaragua,” the court document states.
A judicial source interviewed by DIVERGENTES with extensive knowledge of the case explained that Ramírez Lazo’s arrest exposed the alleged criminal structure in its entirety. However, although arrest and search warrants had been issued for the other members, only he was arrested.
“There was a preliminary hearing, a hearing to expand the charges, and a public oral trial. The proceedings began on December 5, 2025, and concluded on May 26, 2026, with Ramírez Lazo’s admission of guilt. That part of the case was closed, but document 021772-ORM4-2025-PN specified that the other defendants would stand trial once they were apprehended by the police,” the judicial source explained.
Ramírez Lazo’s Arrest
Sabinito de Jesús Ramírez Lazo was arrested by the Río San Juan Department Police on September 4, 2025. It was not a high-profile operation. According to court documents in DIVERGENTES’ possession, the officers who carried out the arrest were informed that two trucks matching specific descriptions were going to pass through the Esperanza 1 area—a community located in San Carlos—and that they were carrying contraband goods.
Sabinito was riding in the first truck as the copilot. Behind them, the other heavy-duty vehicle, carrying more goods, followed. When the officers stopped them, both drivers and Ramírez Lazo became nervous. The agents asked for documentation for the goods, but they replied that they weren’t carrying anything. The two drivers were questioned separately and confessed that Sabinito was in charge; after his arrest, he revealed that he worked in agriculture and occasionally made these “little trips.”
According to the judicial source consulted, the drivers were not included in the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s indictment because they cooperated with the authorities. Sabinito also cooperated, but months later, when he admitted to all the crimes of which he was accused, paving the way for the conclusion of the legal proceedings.
“Sometimes it happens that, even though all the evidence is available, the police are slow to locate other defendants, even though their whereabouts are public knowledge. Sometimes it takes them years. However, in this case, there was a kind of protection because the person in question, Kevin Mendieta, and the others were wanted—they had arrest warrants—but these were never even served on them, until now,” he said.
Unofficial sources confirmed to DIVERGENTES that Kevin Mendieta and his wife, Yazoara López, are not in custody, even though an arrest warrant has been out for the executive for four months.
Mendieta’s Rise Under Fidel Moreno
Kevin Mendieta rose to prominence in Nicaraguan soccer after Fidel Moreno—the head of the Managua Mayor’s Office and the country’s soccer authority—ordered the municipality of San Marcos to hand over the San Marcos FC team to him. At the time, the team was competing in Liga 2, the third tier of Nicaraguan soccer.
“The nature of their close relationship isn’t entirely clear. But from the start, he had Fidel Moreno’s backing. He had tried to become a club executive, but doors were always shut in his face. All it took was an order from Moreno for the mayor of San Marcos to give in,” explained a source connected to the national soccer scene interviewed by DIVERGENTES on condition of anonymity.
Mendieta became the club’s general secretary, and although he did not chair the team’s board, he was the one making the most important decisions. He was in charge of signing foreign and domestic players who commanded high salaries for the league’s level. Kevin was the one paying the salaries of these “expensive” players, while the municipality covered the salaries of those who earned less.
San Marcos FC’s caliber, thanks to those major signings, became evident after they easily secured promotion to the Liga Ascenso, one tier below the top division. In this tournament, Mendieta spared no expense and once again signed players whose market value was high relative to the division.
“No team in the Liga Ascenso was paying more than $1,000. If anything, Juventus of Managua—which is sponsored by the capital’s mayor’s office—could afford to have one or two, but San Marcos FC shattered any limits. And that allowed them to move up to the First Division,” explained another source connected to national soccer.
It was precisely these lavish expenditures by San Marcos FC that sparked some speculation about the source of the money used to pay such expensive players. “They own Fut Campus Los Román, Almacen Puerto Lindo, and InstaCash (a pawnshop). So even though people talked about money from dubious sources, in a way, those businesses they owned kind of dispelled the doubts,” said a source from San Marcos, who requested anonymity for safety reasons.
The excesses and certain luxuries weren’t limited to the soccer club. The Mendieta family also experienced a sudden change in their lifestyle. But everything changed on June 13, 2026, when the presence of National Police officers at Fut Campus Los Román fueled rumors of Mendieta’s possible illicit business dealings. According to a resident of the municipality who arrived at the site to spend a pleasant afternoon with his family, when he tried to enter, an officer informed him that the place had been seized and was in the custody of the police.
In a Fishbowl…
A post on Monday, June 15, on the Marca Personal Facebook page caused a huge stir in San Marcos. It reported that Kevin Mendieta was under investigation for money laundering. At first, users didn’t believe the post. However, as the hours passed and after the newspaper La Prensa reported on the official proceedings, the executive’s defenders on social media grew fewer.
The La Prensa article refers to case 000043-0510-2026 filed with the Tenth Criminal Court of Managua. In this case, Mendieta Puerto is charged with the crimes of smuggling, organized crime, and money laundering with aggravating circumstances. His wife, Yazoara López, is charged only with the latter crime.
Meanwhile, Silvio Mendieta, José Brenes Bermúdez, Jairo Morales Castro, Jaime Valerio Coronado, and María Calderón Quezada were charged with smuggling. Valerio Coronado and Calderón Quezada are also charged with organized crime.
That court document, dated May 19, 2026, does not mention Sabinito Ramírez Lazo. However, if you trace the main case number 000005-0510-2026-PN, you will find that it is part of another main case with the code 021772-ORM4-2025-PN. Yes, the very same case that documents how the transportation coordinator of this trafficking network was arrested. María Calderón Quezada is also not in custody and is awaiting trial for the aforementioned crimes.
“As of June 11, 2026, attorney Alfredo Agustín Rodríguez Rodríguez received the court summonses for Mendieta and his wife. They are not strangers to this process. They are clear on what they are accused of. The question is how the Public Prosecutor’s Office will proceed from here on out,” explained the judicial source.
As of this writing, the last post made by Fut Campus Los Román on Instagram was on June 12. The InstaCash business, owned by Mendieta, also saw its last activity on the same day. The same goes for the San Marcos FC page. Uncertainty hangs in the air, and fans fear the worst for the club, which was just about to begin its journey in the top division.
“If Mendieta is no longer in charge of the club, the municipality will surely take the reins. The question is whether City Hall will have the funds to pay the new players who joined the project, as well as those who remain… let’s not forget that he was the one paying the highest salaries,” concluded the source linked to national soccer.