Latest news with #MarcosLopez
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Yahoo
Wife of suspended Osceola sheriff Marcos Lopez leaves jail after posting bond
The estranged wife of suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez was released from jail after posting bond Monday, regaining her freedom after spending the last two weeks incarcerated on a racketeering charge. Robin Severance-Lopez posted a $400,000 bond after Circuit Judge Brian Welke ruled earlier in the day that the funds she would post were proven to have come from legitimate sources and not an illegal activity, a requirement the court imposed after her arrest. It was a quick reversal of fortune for Severance-Lopez, who had been denied her bond by Welke at a Thursday hearing after he questioned if all of the proposed funds were legitimate. Her attorney, Michelle Yard, had told reporters 'we're back to square one' after the hearing. She was released around 7:20 p.m. from the Lake County Jail in Tavares. A 30-second video from WFTV Channel 9 shows Severance-Lopez being rushed into a truck while reporters surrounded her and shouted questions that she did not appear to answer. Her husband bailed out of jail June 26 on a $1 million bond. Severance-Lopez had been in the Lake County Jail since her arrest on June 23, charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering. Prosecutors have accused her of moving proceeds from an illegal gambling operation across several bank accounts she shared with Lopez. She has pleaded not guilty to the charge. Six people face charges in what prosecutors described as an illegal gambling empire that began with an illicit casino in Kissimmee called The Eclipse and later expanded into Lake County. Lopez and Severance-Lopez, they allege, played 'ministerial roles' as part of the operation, which allegedly generated $21.6 million. The extent of the claims are documented in a 255-page affidavit that remains under seal while one co-defendant, Ying Zhang, remains free. Over the years, prosecutors said Lopez made between $600,000 and $700,000 in illegal proceeds that either went to him personally or as campaign contributions. His involvement purportedly began in 2019, a year before he was elected Osceola's first Hispanic sheriff and continued throughout his tenure at the sheriff's office, where prosecutors contend he used his position to shield The Eclipse and its workers from legal scrutiny. Prosecutors said Severance-Lopez was found to have withdrawn money on the day of Lopez's arrest and moved it to other accounts. Yard has said that money was used to pay bills and put toward her husband's bail. The case against Severance-Lopez, Yard said, hinges on a single email to Zhang containing a W-9 tax form. At no point, she added, did her client join a criminal enterprise. She filed for divorce from Lopez in 2023 after being separated since 2019. That proceeding, filed in Brevard County, is ongoing.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
Judge approves Robin Severance-Lopez's bail money
A Lake County judge has approved the money to be used to bail Robin Severance-Lopez out of jail. Severance-Lopez has not yet posted the bail. The order allows her to do so. Severance-Lopez has been in jail since June 23. The court had to approve the $400,000 bail money and ensure that it did not come from the illegal gambling operation for which she is accused of participating in. Her estranged husband, suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez, bailed out of jail on $1 million for his racketeering charges on June 26. His three co-defendants who have been arrested have also bailed out. They are Sheldon Wetherholt, Carol Cote and Sharon Fedrick. The final co-defendant, Ying Zhang, left the country before being arrested. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
‘Back to square one': Estranged wife of Osceola sheriff to remain jailed in racketeering case
The wife of suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez, ensnared in the racketeering case against him, will remain behind bars after judge ruled Thursday she came up short $20,000 in trying to pay her bond. Robin Severance-Lopez has been in the Lake County Jail since June 23, charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering. Prosecutors have accused her of moving proceeds from an illegal gambling operation across several bank accounts she shared with Lopez. She has pleaded not guilty to the charge. Following her arrest, she was ordered to put up $400,000 in collateral plus pay another 10% to a bondsman to secure her release, with the stipulation that she prove the sources of the funds are legal. After a three-hour hearing, Circuit Judge Brian Welke ruled Severance-Lopez did not have to pay the additional 10%, but he was not convinced all the money was clean. Her lawyer, Michelle Yard, said the value of her family's home in Harmony, a check from a relative and two checks from Severance-Lopez's bank account would be enough to cover the bond. As proof her personal money was legal, she also cited 18 months of bank statements from several joint accounts demonstrating the only deposits were from Lopez's income as sheriff, his veteran benefits and a tax refund from the IRS. Brian Tagler, an undercover task force officer with the Orange County Sheriff's Office whose face was not shown in court, testified there was no evidence illegal money was mixed into the deposits from that period. But state prosecutors argued the money was being supplemented from another source. 'This is a common tactic used in order to … create confusion and hide the source of the excess money,' prosecutor Colleen Moore said. 'All the legitimate income that has been established here is already spent by way or Mrs. Lopez and Mr. Lopez's expenses.' Yard proposed that Severance-Lopez could use funds from a 2023 property sale totaling $57,000 to make up the difference. Welke, however, punted the issue to at least next week. 'At this point, we're back to square one where we have to get the statewide prosecutor to either agree she has a clean $20,000 or be back for a hearing again,' Yard told reporters outside the Lake County Courthouse. The prosecutors declined to comment as they left the courtroom. Six people face charges in what prosecutors described as an illegal gambling empire that began with an illicit casino in Kissimmee called The Eclipse and later expanded into Lake County. Lopez and Severance-Lopez, they allege, played 'ministerial roles' as part of the operation, which allegedly generated $21.6 million. The extent of the claims are documented in a 255-page affidavit that remains under seal while one co-defendant, Ying Zhang, remains free. Over the years, prosecutors said Lopez made between $600,000 and $700,000 in illegal proceeds that either went to him personally or as campaign contributions. His involvement purportedly began in 2019, a year before he was elected Osceola's first Hispanic sheriff and continued throughout his tenure at the sheriff's office, where prosecutors contend he used his position to shield The Eclipse and its workers from legal scrutiny. Prosecutors said Severance-Lopez was found to have withdrawn money on the day of Lopez's arrest and moved it to other accounts. Yard said that money was used to pay bills and put toward her husband's bail. The case against Severance-Lopez, Yard said, hinges on a single email to Zhang containing a W-9 tax form. At no point, she added, did her client join a criminal enterprise. In fact, she filed for divorce from Lopez in 2023 after being separated since 2019. That proceeding, filed in Brevard County, is ongoing. 'The case looks incredibly weak,' Yard said. 'I think that the weight of the evidence against Robin is abysmal. There is nothing showing that she joined any conspiracy to commit any racketeering activity.'
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Interim Osceola County sheriff to run for the job
Interim Osceola County Sheriff Christopher Blackmon is vying for the job on a more permanent basis. Blackmon said he will run for the position in the next election. It will be the first time he has run for office. Before taking on the Osceola County role, he was central region chief for the Florida Highway Patrol. Blackmon was appointed as interim sheriff after the arrest of Marcos Lopez, who was suspended after being charged with racketeering. The Osceola County elections supervisor, Mary Jane Arrington, said the election will not be until 2028, four year after Lopez's reelection. Arrington said there will not be a special election, meaning Blackmon will stay on as interim sheriff until the 2028 election. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Daily Mail
25-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Disgraced sheriff's wife shocked at judge's ruling as she appears in court on racketeering charges
The estranged wife of a Florida sheriff allegedly at the center of an illegal gambling empire has been arrested and accused of helping to launder hundreds of thousands of dollars in dirty money. Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez, 55, was hauled away in handcuffs earlier this month, accused of orchestrating an illegal gambling ring that prosecutors say raked in over $21.6 million in illicit profits. He is facing two first-degree felony charges - racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering - and has been held without bond at the Lake County Jail since his arrest. On Monday, four weeks after the initial arrest, the sheriff's estranged wife, 50-year-old Robin Lynn Severance Lopez, was swept up in the growing scandal. She was booked into jail on a $400,000 bond and charged with conspiracy to invest proceeds from racketeering, according to Fox 35 Orlando. Robin made her first court appearance on Tuesday, where she appeared stunned that a judge denied her defense attorney's request she be released on $50,000 bond. Her defense attorney argued there's no evidence she benefited from her estranged husband's actions or received any illegal funds from him. But the judge denied the request after the state argued they would need to verify that any bail funds come from legitimate sources. Prosecutors alleged she played a direct role in aiding her husband in the illegal gambling operation - an enterprise they both allegedly profited from, despite reportedly being separated since 2019. They claimed 'she helped to facilitate the movement of illicit money and receipt of illicit payments from other coconspirators to Lopez, which is believed to have reached to be at least $600 to $700,000.' Although Robin claimed to earn just $1,300 a month from a part-time job, investigators found $123,000 in her bank account, as reported by Fox Orlando. 'She has meaningful financial resources, which interestingly, cannot be explained by a legitimate employment or a business source based on law enforcement's review of her bank records and other filings,' state prosecutor Colleen Monroe said, as reported by Spectrum News 13. The state also highlighted bank slips found during her arrest, showing nearly $180,000 in deposits made shortly after Marcos June 5 arrest. 'Since the beginning of this conspiracy - through even today's date - the defendant has had access to large amounts of cash, including deposits, withdrawals and acquisitions that far exceed her legitimate employment, business, or retirement income,' Monroe added. Robin's defense argued that she's only being charged because of a W-2 form sent to one of the co-defendants six years ago, the publication stated. 'If anything, it shows an isolated event. It was a one-time email that was sent per Marcos Lopez that indicated in the text of the email. There is also no indication here that she joined this criminal enterprise,' defense attorney Michelle Yard said. She argued Robin had 'zero agreement' to be involved in the alleged gambling ring, which included her estranged husband and four other defendants. 'Of course, conspiracy requires that the government be able to show that there is a specific intent to engage in two or more predicate acts,' Yard argued. 'Here, they've only even alleged a single act. Whether that act is an act of racketeering or simply sending a W-2 is not a crime,' she added. Despite being separated, prosecutors alleged that Robin had previously attempted to help Marcos pay his $1 million bail. However, the defense argued that Robin's willingness to provide collateral for his bond doesn't make her a co-conspirator, emphasizing that although their divorce has been pending since 2023, they remain in contact due to their shared 15-year-old daughter. 'The reality of that is that they have a child together and they are co-parents. Ms. Severance Lopez is not a co-conspirator. She is a co-parent,' Yard said. 'Of course, she doesn't want the father of her child to remain in jail if he doesn't need to, she added. It still remains unclear how much Robin actually knew, as prosecutors haven't said whether she was fully aware of the operation or acting under pressure, as reported by Fox Orlando. The nature and extent of her communication with the other alleged co-conspirators also remains unclear. If released on bond, she will be fitted with a GPS monitor and must surrender her passport and any firearms within 24 hours. She has also been barred from any further contact with her estranged husband. Robin was booked into Lake County Jail on charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering and conspiracy to use or invest proceeds from racketeering. She is expected back in court on July 21. Once celebrated as the county's first Hispanic sheriff, Marcos's fall from grace is all the more striking given his historic rise and respected background. Born in Chicago and raised in Central Florida, he joined the Osceola County Sheriff's Office in 2003 while serving in the Navy Reserve. He later earned an associate's degree in criminal justice and rose through the ranks to become sheriff in 2021, making history in the process. Marcos was re-elected in 2024, but his second term barely got underway before the investigation got underway. But the gambling allegations aren't his only scandal. Earlier this year, Marcos and four deputies were named in a civil lawsuit over a 2022 incident in which deputies tackled a man at a gas station, resulting in burns covering more than 75 percent of his body. The investigation into Marcos's alleged criminal empire began in 2023. The illegal enterprise, according to investigators, operated lotteries and slot machines throughout Lake and Osceola Counties.
