LAKE COUNTY, Fla. - New documents released Friday evening offer more details an illegal gambling probe that involved the arrest of suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez.
Lopez was arrested in June on two first-degree felonies: racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. He is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal cash payments as part of what prosecutors are calling an organized criminal enterprise. He has since bonded out of jail.
The newly-released, 255-page affidavit for arrest warrants details the investigation, including allegations against the suspended sheriff.
Part of the affidavit states, "Marcos Lopez played a multifaceted role in the expansion and protection of this enterprise. Lopez initially joined the operation in exchange for political campaign contributions and personal payments. You affiants learned that Marcos Lopez pledged to use his anticipated positions as the elected Osceola County sheriff to shield the enterprise from law enforcement scrutiny."
[READ FULL AFFIDAVIT BELOW]
Affidavit for arrest warrant Osceola County by News 6 WKMG-TV
The former sheriff was one of at least six charged in the investigation.
Ying "Kate" Zhang,Sharon Fedrick, Sheldon Wetherholt and Carol Cote were also charged as a result of the investigation. Lopez's wife, Robin Lynn Severance Lopez, was also arrested on a racketeering charge tied to the sprawling illegal gambling investigation. She also bonded out of jail.
[SEE PREVIOUS COVERAGE HERE]
The crimes allegedly occurred from August 2019 to at least August 2024, according to court documents.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier had said Lopez was arrested as part of a massive illegal gambling operation and a public corruption scheme.
In a release, Uthmeier stated a multi-agency investigation in 2023 "led by Homeland Security Investigations and joined by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement uncovered a criminal organization operating an illegal gambling enterprise throughout Central Florida, particularly in Lake and Osceola counties," which generated more than $21.6 million in illicit proceeds.
[WATCH BELOW: Suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez leaves jail after posting $1M bond]
Prosecutors have accused Lopez of using his influence as sheriff to collect more than $600,000 in illicit payments while operating Eclipse Social Club, a now-shuttered gaming room in Kissimmee that allegedly housed slot machines and other illegal gambling devices.
Court records released in July showed the illegal gambling investigation may have involved as many as five Central Florida gaming rooms.
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