Robin Lynn Severance Lopez, the estranged wife of suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez, appeared in a Lake County courtroom Tuesday (June 24) for the first time since her arrest on racketeering charges. The 50-year-old is accused of helping run a multi-million dollar illegal gambling ring in partnership with her husband, a scheme that prosecutors say she played a central role in.
She’s now facing two serious charges including conspiracy to commit racketeering and conspiracy to use or invest proceeds from racketeering.
A judge set her bond at $400,000 and ordered several strict conditions if she’s released, including GPS monitoring, turning over her passport and any firearms, and having no contact with Lopez.
Even though the couple has been estranged for years, prosecutors say Severance Lopez still tried to help post his $1 million bond.
Lopez’s wife’s alleged role in ‘multi-million dollar operation’
Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Colleen Monroe pushed for the high bond during the hearing and laid out the state’s case against Severance Lopez in detail.
“This is a serious case,” Monroe said. “It is a first-degree felony… involving essentially a multi-million dollar enterprise involving illegal gaming activity and an array of other offenses.”
Prosecutors allege Severance Lopez’s role centered on financial facilitation: “She helped to facilitate the movement of illicit money and receipt of illicit payments from other co-conspirators to Lopez, which is believed to have reached at least $600,000 to $700,000,” Monroe said.
The state’s evidence includes “witness testimony, bank records, text messages, and email correspondence,” and Monroe said the case against her is “compelling and in large part irrefutable.”
Among the state’s claims, Severance Lopez initially told law enforcement she didn’t know some of the alleged co-conspirators. But when officers showed her a photo of herself with them at a holiday party, she admitted she had been dishonest. Prosecutors also pointed to suspicious financial activity, including two large cash deposits made just days after Lopez was arrested.
“She has meaningful financial resources which… cannot be explained via legitimate employment or a business source,” Monroe told the court, citing a $17,000 and $60,000 deposit made in June.
Defense refutes claims
Defense attorney Michelle Yard strongly pushed back against the state’s claims and argued that the $400,000 bond was excessive.
“There is no receipt of funds from Ms. Severance Lopez or her business indicated in the affidavit,” Yard told the judge, arguing that the state’s case relies heavily on a single 2019 email in which Severance Lopez forwarded a W-9 form.
Yard said that forwarding a W-9 “doesn’t demonstrate that she received any payment” or even knew the person’s real identity, noting that the email was addressed to “Kate,” a name not linked to any alleged co-conspirator until after the fact.
“There is zero agreement for her to join any criminal enterprise… the state is required to show that there’s a pattern,” Yard argued. “They’ve only even alleged a single act.”
Yard also pointed out Severance Lopez’s long-standing ties to the community, her clean criminal record, her steady part-time job, and the fact that she is the primary caregiver for her 15-year-old child.
“The court must consider whether she is a probable danger to the community. The allegations here are completely nonviolent.
“She has no record of prior convictions. She’s never been in trouble,” Yard stated. “We know that a bond outside of her financial reach is tantamount to no bond.”
She noted that at least two co-defendants in the case had been released on $50,000 bond and argued that Severance Lopez should be treated similarly.
Judge grants $400k bond for Severance Lopez
Despite the defense’s objections, the judge ultimately sided with prosecutors. Bond was set at $400,000, with all the requested conditions in place, including a source of funds inquiry under Florida Statute 903.046.
“The court is going to set a monetary bond in the amount of $400,000 for Ms. Severance Lopez,” the judge ruled. “She must surrender her passport and all firearms within 24 hours of release from custody…and wear a GPS monitor.”
The judge clarified the no-contact order with Lopez: “You are not permitted to have any contact whatsoever with Marcos Lopez. You can’t see him, call him, text him, or communicate by any means whatsoever.”
Severance Lopez is the seventh person charged in what investigators describe as a far-reaching illegal gambling scheme, allegedly driven by the power and influence of then-Sheriff Lopez.
Prosecutor Monroe stressed the unique role the couple allegedly played: “By way of their partnership, Robin Severance Lopez and Marcos Lopez were operating as partners… capitalizing in large part through Marcos Lopez’s position as the former sheriff.”
Severance Lopez’s arraignment is scheduled for July 21 at 8:30 am before Judge Brian Welke.
Featured image: Fox 35 Orlando screenshot
