Latest news with #Kissimmee-based
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Arrested Osceola County sheriff's co-defendant connected to previous illegal gambling investigations
Thursday marked one week since now-suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez was arrested. He's accused of protecting and expanding a multimillion-dollar illegal gambling operation in Lake and Osceola counties. As of Thursday, Lopez had not posted his $1 million bail and remains in the Lake County Jail while three of his co-defendants were released on bail. Sheldon Wetherholt, 58, is among the three co-defendants who have bailed out. According to state records, Wetherholt managed the Kissimmee-based Eclipse Social Club at the center of the investigation. Channel 9 learned that while Wetherholt doesn't have a criminal history, he was tied to another investigation into illegal casinos in 2022. State records list Wetherholt as the manager of Game X Arcade LLC. Investigators with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office said the LLC operated multiple illegal casinos. That business eventually shut down in 2023 after court records show the owner, Dhara Bhalodia, was arrested on more than 150 counts related to operating an illegal casino. An arrest document accuses Bhalodia of committing money laundering while 'operating the gaming businesses in plain sight.' Wetherholt was named in Bhalodia's arrest affidavit but never faced any charges in the Palm Beach County case. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Give Kids the World selects new CEO
Give Kids the World Village Inc. has announced its new leader. Caroline Schumacher, currently the CEO of Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, will become president and chief executive of the Kissimmee-based nonprofit in June. Schumacher previously worked with Give Kids the World in volunteer services, guest services and operations leadership for almost two decades. 'Stepping into the role at Give Kids the World feels like coming full circle, honoring Henri Landwirth's vision in a new way, for a cause that has always been close to my heart,' Schumacher said in a news release Tuesday. Landwirth, a hotel owner and philanthropist, helped found both Give Kids the World and the Orlando-based Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. He died in 2018. Schuamcher takes over the Give Kids the World leadership from Pamela Landwirth, former wife of Henri Landwirth, who left the organization in January after three decades. 'Caroline brings a deep personal connection to the mission of Give Kids the World and a proven record of innovative leadership,' said John Nichols, chairman of the organization's board. Give Kids the World Village is an 89-acre resort that hosts children with critical illnesses and their families free of charge. It has been in operation since 1986. It has served more than 200,000 families. dbevil@
