Suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez is scheduled for trial during a two-week docket term that begins Oct. 20 in Lake County.
That’s if the case regarding his three felony racketeering charges makes it that far.
Lopez, who state and federal officials say was tied to an illegal gambling operation that had locations in Lake and Osceola County, is also scheduled for private plea negotiation and felony sentencing conferences on Oct. 7 and 13 respectively. They were scheduled twice before in August and September but continued.
He and his co-conspirators, Carol Cote, Sharon Fedrick, Sheldon Wetherholt and ex-wife Robin Severance-Lopez, all charged with racketeering for their roles in opening or operating the clubs and illegal business, are also scheduled during that trial docket period. They have a pre-trial hearing set for Oct. 9.
Marcos Lopez has pleaded not guilty to his charges. Gov. Ron DeSantis immediately suspended Lopez on his June 5 arrest date and installed veteran Florida Highway Patrol troop commander Chris Blackmon to the post.
Investigators say he got involved in 2019, months before he won election as Osceola County’s first Hispanic sheriff in 2020. He survived a five-way Democratic primary to win re-election in 2024.
A 255-page arrest affidavit received over three months after Lopez’s arrest detailed texts between he and the clubs’ owner, Krishna “Kris” Deokaran, regarding finding an Osceola location—the Eclipse Social Club, which operated on West U.S. Highway 192 from 2022 to August 2024. Those texts spoke of finding the location, directing deputies not to show up there and payment from Deokaran. In the affidavit, Deokaran told investigators Lopez was paid upwards of $700,000 in campaign contributions and other personal payments.
The document also referenced texts with Ying “Kate” Zhang, an Orange County real estate agent who Lopez allegedly brought to Deokaran to invest in the operation.
Migdalia Perez, a member of Lopez’s legal defense team, noted that the discovery phase is still ongoing regarding the case’s evidence.
“We have not made a definitive decision as of yet,” she said regarding proceeding with the plea hearing or trial.
