The Affidavit reveals details in an illegal case of $ 21 million involving the ex-sheriff of Osceola Marcos Lopez
A newly non -sealed affidavit gives more details on the large illegal gaming investigation which ended with the arrest of the suspended sheriff of the county of Osceola Marcos Lopez.
In the Affidavit, which was deposited at Lake County Circuit Court and seen by Readwrite, the investigators alleged that from 2019, “a multi-aging investigation of the law discovered the presence of a criminal organization exploiting an illegal game company throughout the center of Florida, in particular in the counties of Lake and Osceola.” The authorities say that the group has brought in more than $ 21.6 million in illegal profits.
Affidavit shows that Marcos Lopez played a multifaced role ‘in the illegal company
Investigators believe that the operation was led by Orlando’s businessman Krishna Deokaran, who, according to them, managed the monetary side and global logistics. Others have been accused of having helped tasks such as accounting and money laundering.
Several other people have been charged in the case, including the businesswoman Ying “Kate” Zhang, Sharon Fedrick, Sheldon Wetheholt and Carol Cote. The wife of the Sheriff Lopez, Robin Lynn Severance Lopez, was also arrested for a racketeering accusation linked to the game ring, although she has since been unfolded from prison.
Lopez, who was elected Sheriff of the County of Osceola in 2021, is accused of playing what the investigators called “a multifaceted role in the expansion and protection of the company”. The Affidavit declares that Lopez “undertook to use his planned position as an elected sheriff of the County of Osceola to protect the company from the application of the law application.” He is also accused of having brought new members, organized leases for other places of play and even picking up money in one of the clubs itself.
A place where investigators focused on the Eclipse Social Club in Kissimmee. A tip of the crime line in 2022 said it worked as a casino. Investigators later discovered a Tiktok page announcing the club as “a casino with many fish tables and computer games with daily promotions”.
Infiltrated agents confirmed in July 2023 that the company had dozens of Las Vegas style slots and fish table games. They saw customers be paid in cash, even if panels said that the machines were just for fun.
Affidavit indicates that the agents have carried out several infiltration operations in play rooms in the center of Florida. They played the machines, obtained good payment and exchanged them for money. In one case, an agent put $ 20 in a slot machine and cashed $ 26.40.
Money laundering complaints
The survey also discovered complex money laundering linked to the game network. In January 2024, investigators say that Deokran asked a cooperative source to help move millions of dollars in play profits.
According to the affidavit, he said: “It is not as if we are going to stop here” and added: “Each month, every two months, I got a million or 500 thousand.” Deokaran also explained that he would create false invoices to disguise the funds, saying: “I create an invoice and send it to you by e-mail.”
On January 25, 2024, the internal security investigation agents carried out an infiltration van in Orlando. The investigators say that Deokran appeared in a Tesla Blanche, jumped the trunk and revealed a suitcase filled with money. “You have had 1.5 here,” he told the agent, referring to $ 1.5 million. Banking files later showed that nearly $ 1.5 million was deposited in a secret government account.
The judicial document declares that Deokran boasted of winning once “1 million dollars a week” of his playgrounds. He would have told the infiltration agent he had put aside invoices of $ 50 and $ 100 directly from his machines. He even proposed to provide protection for future transactions by afflicting a badge which identified it as a “special assistant” at the Sheriff’s Bureau of Osceola.
In 2024, more infiltration operations recorded additional cash drops. In May, the agents say they received $ 913,500 stuffed in a stamp bag. Deokran would also have mentioned that he and a partner had put money in a marijuana culture operation in Ohio, describing a warehouse that had recently collected “around 500 pounds of marijuana” that he intended to fly to Florida for resale.
When the agents searched the house of Orlando de Deokaran in August 2024, they said they had found more than $ 309,000 in cash with slot machine keys, game modules and a sheriff’s sheriff badge. Investigators also reported the seizure of documents that linked Deokaran to the various casinos under study.
LOPEZ and Associates accused under Rico
The Affidavit depicts Marcos Lopez as a protector and beneficiary of the regime. Prosecutors allege that after having become sheriff, he personally collected cash gaming products at the Eclipse Social Club. They say that his role, combined with money laundering and play operations, is the basics of racketeering accusations against all those involved.
Lopez and the others are now faced with racketeering and conspiracy accusations under the status of Rico in Florida. The case is processed by the Florida Prosecutor General’s Office, with Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations conducting the investigation.
Featured image: Lake County Florida County Sheriff’s Office
The postal affidavit reveals details in an illegal case of $ 21 million involving the old sheriff of Osceola Marcos Lopez appeared first on Readwrite.
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