TAVARES, Fla. — Suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez is still in the Lake County jail on charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering in an alleged illegal gambling enterprise.
Lopez currently has a hold to keep him from being able to post bail unless his attorneys can prove the bail money comes from legal means.
The judge set Lopez’s bond at $1 million, meaning he has to pay a minimum of $10% of that, which is $100,000.
Two things have to happen before Lopez could post bail. The first is that his attorneys have to show the state attorney or a judge the bail money comes from legitimate legal funds. Also, the judge can decide to weigh in on if the evidence is enough and is from a source that’s not illegal.
Attorney Tom Fighter, who is not associated with the case, points out an example of how that could work.
“Let’s say if you have a family member who has just a few million dollars sitting in the bank. If you can show to the judge, ‘hey look, I’ve had that money for years and years sitting in my IRA and I’m using it to bail this person out, that’s probably a legitimate source sufficient to satisfy the judge and prosecution,” said Fighter.
If that’s the case, there doesn’t have to be any hearing. The judge and prosecutor could waive it, and Lopez could be out on bail.
Lopez’s attorney said she wouldn’t comment on what she and her legal team are doing to try and get Lopez out. She also said she is not ready to make any sort of statement on the case.
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