LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – The illegal gambling investigation that led to racketeering charges being filed against Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez and five others may involve as many as five Central Florida gaming rooms, newly released court records reveal.
Lopez has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. Each count is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Prosecutors have accused Lopez of using his influence as sheriff to collect more than $600,000 in illicit payments while operating Eclipse Social Club, a now-shuttered gaming room in Kissimmee that allegedly housed slot machines and other illegal gambling devices.
As part of the criminal investigation into Lopez and his co-defendants, law enforcement has obtained records related to at least five former Lake County gaming rooms, including Dreamer’s Arcade in Clermont and Jungle Hut in Leesburg, court records filed this week indicate.
[MORE: Suspended Osceola Sheriff Marcos Lopez’s co-defendant may be in China, associates say]
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office raided Dreamer’s Arcade last August and seized about 100 illegal gaming devices and $45,000 in cash, the agency said.
Prosecutors have not yet disclosed how any of the defendants may be connected to those gaming rooms.
Meanwhile, the official document with the charges for Lopez and his co-defendants was formally filed with the Lake County Clerk of Courts. You can read that document below.
Lopez Official Charges by Christie Zizo on Scribd