LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — A new trial date has been set for Robin Severance-Lopez, the estranged wife of suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez, after she rejected a plea deal from prosecutors this morning in a Lake County courtroom.
Prosecutors had offered to drop conspiracy to commit racketeering and her most recent charge of lying to modify her bail if she agreed to plead guilty to two counts of money laundering.
Her attorney, however, said she refused the deal, choosing instead to take her chances at trial, which is now set for Dec. 8.
“The state is proposing she plea and become a convicted felon, and we both feel that is inappropriate given the facts here,” her defense attorney, Michelle Yard, said.
Severance-Lopez is facing up to 30 years in prison if convicted in the racketeering case. Prosecutors allege she helped her husband receive payments from an illegal gambling operation that Lopez is accused of protecting and helping to expand while serving as sheriff.
In court, prosecutors said they intend to present recorded jail calls between the couple and financial records linking them to the alleged scheme.
Defense attorneys, however, maintain the state’s case is weak.
“They simply don’t have a strong case against Mrs. Severance-Lopez, and there’s no reason she should have to live the rest of her life as a convicted felon,” Yard added.
Severance-Lopez, who spent another night in jail before her hearing, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Yard said the goal is to resolve both cases before Christmas
WFTV was the first to break the story of both her arrest and that of her husband over the alleged illegal gambling enterprise.
He is awaiting trial on charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
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Severance-Lopez was arrested on June 23, just over two weeks after her husband was jailed. She is accused of profiting from the alleged gambling.
Prosecutors state that the operation lasted for several years in Osceola and Lake counties, generating at least $21 million. It began before Lopez was first elected sheriff in 2020.
According to the 255-page affidavit, one message allegedly sent by Lopez before he was elected sheriff says, “No matter what the outcome is, when I win, we start the first internet amusement cafe in Osceola County. You will be safe and not have to worry about anything because I will be your sheriff.”
The evidence also shows Lopez received updates when his own deputies showed up at one of the gambling clubs.
One photo sent to him in 2022 included the text, “Your deputies are at the Eclipse.” Lopez replied, “Let me know if they say something. You should have no issues.”
Investigators say Lopez also discussed payments with the other members of the enterprise. In another message, he allegedly said, “Remember we made an agreement with Kate to pay me some money for the connection.”
Over the years of operation, investigators say the now-suspended sheriff made between $600,000 and $700,000.
The investigation began with a tip in 2019. After Lopez took office in 2020, detectives started tracking the alleged ringleader, Krishna Deokaran, who agreed to serve as an informant.
By 2023, undercover stings were underway at multiple clubs.
In 2024, agents got warrants to track vehicles and record payoffs.
Agents say the case came together through testimony and a whole lot of finger-pointing.
First, club manager Sharon Fedrick told investigators she counted the money and paid the bills.
Then Deokaran changed his story after being confronted with evidence.
And a real estate agent — caught on speakerphone - laid out each person’s role.
Both witnesses claimed Deokaran bragged about his friendship with Lopez, even flashing a deputy badge he got from him.
Investigators say that the connection provided the organization with a false sense of security until it collapsed.
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