Osceola Sheriff Lopez Left Alone as Estranged Wife, Gambling Operator Accept Plea Deals in $21M Case

Two additional defendants have taken plea deals in the illegal gambling case tied to suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez. The new agreements, from Lopez’s estranged wife, Robin Severance-Lopez, and alleged financial operator Krishna K. Deokaran, bring the total number of co-defendants who have pleaded guilty to five.

The latest plea deals leave the suspended sheriff increasingly isolated ahead of his next court appearance in early December.

Severance-Lopez Accepts Plea Deal, Avoids Jail

Severance-Lopez reached a plea agreement that allows her to avoid incarceration. Instead, she received 24 months of probation with adjudication withheld.

Her attorney, Michelle Yard, said in a statement: “Today, Robin Lopez made the difficult decision to enter a plea in her cases. This plea allows her to immediately return home to her family and move forward with her life. Importantly, the court has withheld adjudication, meaning that she has not been formally convicted and will not carry the long-term consequences of a felony conviction.”

The plea was reached days before her scheduled trial date in early December. Prosecutors had initially charged her with conspiracy to commit racketeering as part of an alleged multimillion-dollar gambling network.

Authorities rearrested her on October 23 on an out-of-county warrant for allegedly providing false or misleading information in her prior $400,000 bond application.

Deokaran Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering

Deokaran, described by prosecutors as playing a leading financial role in the operation, pleaded guilty to money-laundering charges and faces up to five years in prison. He has not yet received a sentencing date.

Deokaran was a witness in the case against Severance-Lopez. According to court records, he has given Severance-Lopez a tour of one of the gambling locations and later delivered an envelope marked as a payment “for Marcos.”

Earlier Defendants Who Have Already Pleaded Guilty

Before the latest pleas, three other co-defendants had already admitted guilt in the case.

Carol Cote became the first defendant to plead guilty in early October. Prosecutors said she acted as the bookkeeper for the Eclipse Social Club and maintained years of financial spreadsheets documenting gambling proceeds.

A week later, Sharon Fedrick and Sheldon Wetherholt entered their own pleas. Frederick allegedly was a manager within the organization, while Wetherholt helped secure sites and leases for the illegal casinos.

Lopez Now the Only Major Defendant Without a Plea

The five guilty pleas — from Cote, Fedrick, Wetherholt, Severance-Lopez, and Deokaran — leave the suspended sheriff as the only major defendant still fighting the charges.

Criminal defense attorney Rajan Joshi, speaking to news outlet WESH about the shifting landscape, said: “That’s not good for Sheriff Lopez, because he’s the last man standing, and they’re going to have somebody who is going to take the fall for all this. Everyone else cut a deal, and a lot of the co-defendants are going to testify against him.”

Prosecutors allege that the gambling network generated more than $21.6 million between 2019 and 2024. Lopez personally received between $600,000 and $700,000 in cash. He has pleaded not guilty.

A plea-negotiation hearing for Lopez is currently scheduled for December 2.