LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – As attorneys for suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez prepare to meet with prosecutors Tuesday for a routine plea negotiation conference, there is no indication Lopez plans to change his plea of “not guilty” to racketeering charges.
But pressure on Lopez has likely grown recently after five of his co-defendants struck plea deals with prosecutors, including his estranged wife, leaving the suspended sheriff practically alone in facing criminal charges stemming from an illegal gambling operation.
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.
[RELATED: Robin Severance Lopez pleads guilty in illegal gambling case]
Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Lopez from office following his arrest in June.
Lopez’s wife, Robin Severance Lopez, pleaded guilty to money laundering last week and was sentenced to 24 months of probation.
Krishna Deokaran, who was accused of owning and operating several illegal casinos in Osceola and Lake counties, also pleaded guilty to money laundering last week. He faces up to five years in prison when he’s sentenced by a judge at a future date.
Prosecutors said Deokaran was prepared to testify that he gave a tour of the Eclipse Social Club to Marcos Lopez and his wife in 2022.
Later that year, Deokaran allegedly gave an envelope full of cash from the casino proceeds to Robin Severance Lopez in the parking lot of the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office that was intended for her husband, court records show.
Carol Cote and Sharon Fedrick, who allegedly worked for the illegal casinos, pleaded guilty to racketeering charges earlier this fall. Another co-defendant, Sheldon Wetherholt, pleaded no contest to the same charges. All will be sentenced on a future date.
[RELATED: ‘🎰🎰=💰’ emojis link suspended Osceola sheriff Marcos Lopez to gambling operation, prosecutors allege]
Ying Zhang, who prosecutors named as one of Lopez’s co-defendants, has not yet been arrested and may be in China.
A plea negotiation conference between prosecutors and Lopez’s attorneys is scheduled for Tuesday, court records indicate. Similar conferences, which are scheduled monthly, have been previously cancelled.
Lopez’s attorney did not immediately respond to an email from News 6 offering an opportunity to comment on this story.