a day ago
State files motion to revoke bond for co-defendant in investigation into suspended sheriff
The Brief
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez has officially been in jail for one full week.
Three of his four co-defendants have bonded out of jail. One remains at large.
One of the co-defendants may have to go back to jail. Prosecutors want her bond revoked in a separate case.
TAVARES, Fla. - Suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez has spent a full week in the Lake County Jail, where he remains the only one of five individuals listed in a criminal complaint still behind bars in connection with an alleged illegal gambling operation tied to a Kissimmee nightclub.
The state just asked a judge to revoke the bond granted to a co-defendant tied to the investigation into Sheriff Lopez.
The backstory
Osceola County Sheriff Maros Lopez, who is accused of helping run a gambling ring at the Eclipse Club, was arrested last week and has since been held without release. His attorney initially requested a bond reduction hearing, but later canceled it, and no further court activity has appeared on the docket over the past several days.
The state has asked a judge to revoke the bond granted to a co-defendant tied to the investigation into Sheriff Lopez.
Sharon Fedrick already has a bond from a different case in Orange County. She was charged with organized fraud and identity theft in 2020, but spent four years as a fugitive. Those four years were when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said she was working at the Eclipse Club.
Three of Lopez's four co-defendants have bonded out of jail. One remains at large.
What they're saying
Sharon Fedrick told FOX 35 as she bonded out of jail that she had no involvement in illicit activity at the Eclipse.
"Pick up the owner. I'm not the owner," she said. "Justice will be served."
The motion to revoke her bond argues, "Due to her facing almost certain time in the Department of Corrections and his history of absconding, there is extreme likelihood the Defendant will abscond again. There are no conditions of release which are reasonably likely to assure [her] appearance]" at future court hearings.
What's next
The attorney for Sheriff Lopez will have to request a hearing to prove to a judge where his bail funds came from, showing the money was obtained legally. Once approved, he will be able to bond out of jail.
Federal authorities, including Homeland Security investigators, have indicated additional arrests are possible as the case develops.
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The Source
This story was written based on information shared by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, and Sharon Fedrick.
