LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A Central Florida businesswoman accused of conspiring with suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez in an illegal gambling operation may be living in China and out of reach of U.S. law enforcement, several former associates tell News 6.
Ying “Kate” Zhang is among at least six defendants facing racketeering charges stemming from an investigation into an unauthorized casino that allegedly generated more than $20 million in illegal proceeds.
[WATCH BELOW: Marcos Lopez leaves the Lake County Jail]
“I know Kate is in Wuhan, China. She’s living her life,” said Mia Cheng, a former sales associate at Zhang’s Orlando real estate business. “She can’t get arrested there.”
The United States does not have a formal extradition treaty with China that legally requires the countries to exchange suspected criminals, although some extraditions have occurred on a case-by-case basis.
Cheng provided News 6 with videos Zhang reportedly posted on a private Douyin account, which is China’s version of TikTok.
“She has a Chinese TikTok that she shares her life and tries to vlog her life,” said Cheng. “She’s giving dating advice.”
Cheng also shared a copy of a letter that Zhang reportedly sent to some of her real estate clients that indicates she recently moved to China.
[WATCH BELOW: Robin Severance Lopez leaves the Lake County Jail]
News 6 could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the letter and Douyin videos.
Zhang has not responded to emails and text messages from News 6 seeking comment for this story.
After authorities arrested Lopez last month and Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended him from his position as Osceola County’s sheriff, Cheng said law enforcement interviewed her about her former boss.
Prosecutors have not disclosed many details about Zhang’s alleged role in the illegal gambling operation, but authorities said they have obtained “numerous” text messages between Zhang and Lopez.
“Those direct text messages evidence that he was using his influence as the sheriff even prior to election, indicating he was very respected in his community, to facilitate the illegal enterprise,” Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Panagiota Papakos said at a court hearing for Lopez last month. “There’s screenshots of slot machines and things of that nature in those text messages.”
Lopez, Sharon Fedrick, Sheldon Wetherholt and Carol Cote have pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. Each charge is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Robin Severance-Lopez, who is Lopez’s estranged wife, has not yet entered a plea to a charge of conspiracy to commit racketeering. But Severance-Lopez’s attorney has told News 6 that her client was not involved in any conspiracy.
Zhang has been associated with numerous Central Florida businesses including smoke shops, a dispensary, a property management company and an auto glass repair service, state corporation records show.
Several of Zhang’s businesses, including Kylin Realty, were registered at a strip mall office off West Colonial Drive in Orlando’s Pine Hills neighborhood.
When a News 6 reporter stopped by the real estate office last week, the business appeared to be closed despite a window decal with the company’s operating hours showing it should have been open.
That same window decal included the name of real estate broker Julian Melendez.
Melendez is a former Osceola County School Board member who served as Lopez’s campaign manager during his 2020 run for sheriff.
State corporation records show Melendez and Zhang are officers of Kylin Realty.
Melendez, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, told News 6 he is cooperating with law enforcement but declined to comment further due to the ongoing criminal investigation.
Cheng filed a lawsuit against Zhang and Kylin Realty last year claiming the company owed the former sales associate thousands of dollars in unpaid real estate commissions.
The parties later agreed to a $102,163 judgment, court records show, but Cheng told News 6 she has not yet been able to collect the money.
Last month, a judge found Kylin Realty in contempt of court for failing to submit certain financial documents to Cheng. If the company does not produce the documents this week, records show it will incur a $100 daily fine until it complies with the court order.
“Don’t ever trust her,” Cheng said about her former boss. “I trusted her, and it backfired on me.”