TAVARES, Fla — Prosecutors say divorce filings between suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez and his estranged wife raise questions about her alleged involvement in the illegal gambling operation.
9 Investigates obtained the financial affidavit prosecutors mentioned in court Tuesday. Robin Severance-Lopez reported she had a very large amount of money in the bank, yet she reported a low monthly income.
Severance-Lopez was arrested Monday and charged with conspiracy to use proceeds from racketeering. She’s accused of moving at least $600,000 from alleged co-conspirators to Marcos Lopez.
Court filings show Severance-Lopez filed for divorce from Marcos Lopez in September 2023.
She said the 16-year marriage between the two was “irretrievably broken.”
There wasn’t much movement in court over the first year or so until in April when they were getting to the point of splitting up money, assets, debts and also child support. The two share a 15-year-old son.
Severance-Lopez filed an 11-page financial affidavit in April. It says she brings in about $1,300 a month.
She reported she worked as a program supervisor at the nonprofit Kenneth Kirchman Foundation.
Before that, she was a public servant and worked at the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
However, investigators are questioning how she had $122,000 in the bank with those jobs. The reported figure does not include the list of assets she documented.
“I’m a little surprised that she would file an affidavit like that, frankly, in a divorce. But she did,” said Jonathan Rose, a criminal defense attorney not tied to this case.
Rose says the simple figure of the reported money in the bank raises questions.
“Where those deposits came from? Were those cash deposits?” Rose said. “It’s going to be difficult for her to formulate a defense to that if those are cash deposits.”
Severance-Lopez also reported that her expenses added up to more than $11,000 a month, despite her only bringing $1,300 in.
It adds up to a more than $10,000 deficit each month, and the major difference wasn’t reflected in her reported credit card debt.
Prosecutors say when Severance-Lopez was arrested, they found two deposit receipts, adding up to nearly $180,000.
Her lawyer says she was moving money to try to bail Marcos Lopez out of jail.
9 Investigates asked Severance-Lopez’s attorney why her client had so much money in the bank. We did not hear back.
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