Latest news with #FloridaAttorneyGeneral'sOffice
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Marcos Lopez arrest: 2 arrested in connection to case, search for 2 still on
The Brief Two people have been arrested in connection to the case involving suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez. One of the co-defendants has already been released on bond, and authorities are continuing to search for two others who they believe were involved. Lopez was arrested on Thursday on charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering over his alleged involvement in a major years-long illegal gambling operation. OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - Two people have been arrested in connection to the case involving suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez, officials say. One of the co-defendants has already been released on bond, and authorities are continuing to search for two others who they believe were involvedin the major years-long illegal gambling operation run out of a social club in Kissimmee. What we know According to a criminal complaint, Lopez and at least four others – Ying Zhang, Sharon Fedrick, Sheldon Wetherholt and Carol Cote – owned or operated the million-dollar social club in Kissimmee. Marion County residents Carol Cote and Sharon Fedrick were arrested on Thursday, while officials are still looking for Ying Zhang and Sheldon Wetherholt. On Friday, both Cote and Fedrick were granted bond pending trial by a Lake County judge. Fedrick's bond was set at $300,000 per count due to prior state and federal convictions, while Cote's bond was set at $100,000 for each count. Cote was released on bond later in the day. FOX 35 has learned that she has both an 8-year-old child and 2-year-old twins. Both Cote and Fedrick are scheduled to next appear in court on June 30. What we know On Thursday, Lopez was arrested on charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering over his alleged involvement in a major years-long illegal gambling operation, officials said. Lopez was booked into the Lake County Jail and suspended as Osceola County Sheriff by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. FHP's Christopher Blackmon was selected to replace him. According to the Florida Attorney General's Office and the criminal complaint, Lopez was allegedly part of a "massive Central Florida gambling operation" for years. Lopez – and others – face at least two charges: Racketeering Conspiracy to commit racketeering According to the complaint, Lopez was connected to, aware of or part of an illegal gambling operation that ran lotteries and slot machines. Officials say the organization generated more than $21.6 million in illicit proceeds. Following Lopez's election as Osceola County Sheriff in November 2020, investigators say he continued to advance the interests of the criminal organization and collected a portion of the illegal gambling proceeds for his involvement. Dig deeper Lopez was born in Chicago and raised in Central Florida. After obtaining an associate degree in criminal justice, Lopez joined the Osceola County Sheriff's Office in 2003 while serving in the Navy Reserve. He has served as sheriff since 2021 and became the first Hispanic sheriff in the county and the state. Lopez has three children, two of whom are University of Central Florida (UCF) graduates. RELATED STORIES Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez arrested on racketeering charges, officials say Who is Christopher Blackmon? Appointed Osceola County sheriff amid Marcos Lopez arrest, suspension Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez mug shot Video: Sheriff Marcos Lopez arrested Marcos Lopez arrested: What happens if he's fired as Osceola County Sheriff? STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on information gathered from the Osceola County Supervisor of Elections office, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office website and shared by the Federal Department of Justice (FDOJ), Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Execution Set in 1994 Kidnapping, Murder
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a death warrant for Anthony Wainwright, who was convicted of kidnapping a woman in 1994 from a Winn-Dixie supermarket parking lot in Lake City and raping and murdering her in rural Hamilton County. Wainwright, who had escaped from a North Carolina prison days before killing 23-year-old Carmen Gayheart, is scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection on June 10 at Florida State Prison. A 1995 sentencing order by Circuit Judge E. Vernon Douglas described the murder as 'extremely wicked, evil and vile, in that the victim of this case was abducted at gunpoint while placing groceries in her vehicle, as she was en route to pick up her two small children at a day care center.' It said Gayheart was 'made to ponder her fate' for more than an hour as she was driven to where she was strangled and shot twice in the back of the head with a .22-caliber rifle. Wainwright and a co-defendant, Richard Hamilton, were arrested the next day after a shootout with police in Mississippi, according to a document filed last year at the U.S. Supreme Court by the Florida Attorney General's Office in an unsuccessful appeal by Wainwright. Wainwright, 54, is scheduled to be the sixth inmate executed this year in Florida. Four men have been executed, and Glen Rogers is slated to be put to death Thursday in the 1995 murder of a woman in a Tampa motel room. The Wainwright death warrant came a day after the Florida Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Rogers. Past appeals by Wainwright have been unsuccessful, but the Florida Supreme Court on Friday issued a schedule for what could be a final attempt by his attorneys to spare him from execution. The document filed last year at the U.S. Supreme Court by the Attorney General's Office said Wainwright and Hamilton escaped from a prison in Newport, N.C., stole a Cadillac and burglarized a home, where they took two rifles. After driving to Florida, they decided on April 27, 1994, to steal another car because the Cadillac was overheating, according to the court document. They drove into the Winn-Dixie parking lot in Lake City and saw Gayheart loading groceries into a Ford Bronco. Hamilton forced her into the Bronco at gunpoint and drove away, with Wainwright following in the Cadillac. They subsequently ditched the Cadillac and headed north on Interstate 75 before pulling off into a wooded area, where Gayheart was raped and killed, the document said. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida settles with FEMA over claims of bias against Trump-supporting hurricane victims
Video above: Lake Placid residents respond to anti-Trump former FEMA worker TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been cleared of wrongdoing in a case alleging systematic bias against President Donald Trump within the organization. The state of Florida sued FEMA last year amid reports that workers denied aid to hurricane victims in Highlands County who displayed Trump signs. 'It's horrible': Lake Placid residents respond to anti-Trump former FEMA worker The state sued FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and supervisor Marn'i Washington, alleging Washington 'conspired with senior FEMA officials' to skip over those homes, according to a complaint filed by Sen. Ashley Moody last year when she served as Florida Attorney General. Washington was fired after the claims surfaced. Moody claimed Washington's actions were at Criswell's direction, but new court documents revealed that a FEMA probe 'found no evidence that this was a systemic problem, nor that it was directed by agency or field leadership.' At the time the lawsuit was filed, Criswell called the supervisor's conduct 'reprehensible' and said it went against the agency's 'core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation.' 'The United States and Ms. Criswell regret the actions giving rise to this case and agree with the State of Florida that those actions never should have occurred,' a Monday email from the Department of Justice to the Florida Attorney General's Office stated. 'We are also hopeful that, in light of all we have provided, the state of Florida and its people can be confident that FEMA is striving to avoid a repeat of the events giving rise to this case and that the agency is committed to the fair, compassionate, and even-handed delivery of services.' The Florida Attorney General's Office informed the court a settlement was reached earlier this month. A federal judge ordered the case dismissed with prejudice on Tuesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Toll scheme bilks Pinellas couple out of $4,500
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida Attorney General's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement recently shut down hundreds of fraudulent Sun-Pass websites, designed to steal your money. But that hasn't stopped crooks from creating new ones and continuing to send them to Floridians, with threatening text messages to pay unpaid tolls. A Pinellas County woman fell for the scheme and ended up out more than $4,500. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now At 80 years old, Ed Mondello works full days driving a truck. He said his elderly wife mistakenly clicked on a fraudulent link in a threatening text message claiming she had unpaid tolls. The scheme has hit consumers nationwide for months, and crooks aren't letting up. 'They said she didn't pay the toll, and she had to pay the toll $6.99 by a certain time,' Mondello said. 'If not, it would go on her credit report, and she would lose her registration. I feel lousy. She's going to be 83 years old. She can never make up that money again. It's ridiculous.' Sarasota doctor charged with sexual battery accused of inappropriate treatments Mondello said his wife used her Achieva Credit union debit card to pay $6.99, but crooks used her debit card 25 times over three days at Staples Stores based in Connecticut and Massachusetts. 'Every time her balance went down the bank took it out of her savings and put it in her check so nothing would bounce,' Mondello said. The Mondellos reported the fraud to Achieva and filed a police report. The fraud happened in February, and they recently received a letter, saying that because this was a digital payment, they won't be reimbursed. It was devastating news. Consumer Investigator Shannon Behnken contacted Achieva and was initially told the claim was denied because the thief put Ms. Mondello's debit card in an Apple digital wallet and would not have been able to do that if Mondello did not share a passcode that the credit union sent to her as a security measure. This is something the Mondellos insist didn't happen. But days later, there was good news:it was determined that a vendor for the credit union should have caught these suspicious, repeated amounts and since it failed to do so, Mondellos would receive every penny back. Mondellos tells me the credit union returned each of the transactions, totaling more than $4, relieved and said his wife learned a big lesson about clicking on links that show up in a text message. A spokesperson for Achieva credit union said their vendor was already in the process of investigating this issue, but that if there was not a vendor mistake, the Mondellos would have been out the money. Achieva said this is a reminder to guard your pin number. Achieva sent these tips: Use account alerts: Set up alerts through your credit union's mobile app to receive real-time updates on your transactions. This helps you catch unauthorized activity quickly. Time is truly of the essence in these types of situations because if the fraud is caught quickly, your financial institution can likely help you recoup your losses. Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA): This adds an extra layer of protection by requiring a second verification step when logging into your accounts. Report suspicious messages: If something seems suspicious, report it to SunPass and your financial institution as soon as possible. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida halts migrant arrests after judge rebukes state over immigration law enforcement
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has instructed state law enforcement to halt the arrests of undocumented migrants under a new immigration law after a federal judge doubled down on a restraining order against the state. The directive comes after U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams said during a Friday hearing she was "astounded" by the state's decision to continue making arrests after she had issued a previous order directing officials to stop earlier this month. The Florida Attorney General's Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Florida Officials Divided Over Ice Deportation Deal Aimed At Criminal Aliens: 'Embarrassed For Our City' It is a misdemeanor for illegal immigrants to enter Florida, under state law. In a letter to state officials, Uthmeier directed state law enforcement to comply with the judge's order despite not agreeing with the decision. Read On The Fox News App Mayors, Local Officials Could Face Arrest If They Don't Comply With Trump's Mass Deportations The order comes after attorneys suing the state revealed authorities have made 15 arrests in the last two weeks, including a U.S. citizen born in Georgia. Last week, 20-year-old Juan Carlos Lopez Gomez was pulled over by Florida Highway Patrol near the Florida-Georgia border and subsequently taken into custody by immigration officials. It is unclear whether Gomez, who was detained under the new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in February, provided identification upon being arrested. Florida Sheriff Says Ice Partnership Only The Beginning In Illegal Migrant Crackdown Gomez was charged with illegal entry into Florida and held at the Leon County Jail, where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requested he remain in custody for up to 48 hours. The next day, Gomez was released after his mother provided his birth certificate, Social Security card and state identification card in court. ICE and the Florida Immigrant Coalition did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. The next hearing regarding the state's enforcement of the law is set for April 29. Fox News' Dana McNicholl and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Original article source: Florida halts migrant arrests after judge rebukes state over immigration law enforcement
