Trial for Robin Severance-Lopez, accused of involvement in racketeering case, starts Nov. 10

Trial date set for Robin Severance Lopez in alleged illegal gambling

A trial date has been set for Robin Severance Lopez, the estranged wife of suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez, as new court documents reveal additional evidence in the couple’s alleged involvement in an illegal gambling ring.

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. - A trial date has been set for Robin Severance Lopez, the estranged wife of suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez, as new court documents reveal additional evidence in the couple’s alleged involvement in an illegal gambling ring.

During a virtual hearing Monday, a judge scheduled Robin Lopez’s trial to begin next week. 

The trial for Robin Severance-Lopez – the estranged wife of suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez, is set to start Nov. 10. 

What we know:

She remains in custody after being arrested at her home on Oct. 23. 

Body camera footage shows Osceola County deputies taking her into custody on a warrant out of Lake County. Lopez had previously been released on bond but was later accused of providing false information during the bail process.

Newly filed court documents include recorded jail phone calls between Robin Lopez and Marcos Lopez, along with emails, transcripts, and other materials prosecutors say strengthen their case.

A judge denied Robin Lopez’s bond on Monday. She is expected back in court Thursday for a pretrial conference. Her trial is scheduled to begin Monday and could last up to two weeks.

Marcos Lopez, who remains suspended from his position as sheriff, is due back in court in December.

Why was she arrested? 

The backstory:

Lopez was previously arrested in June alongside her husband in connection with an alleged racketeering case involving an illegal gambling operation. She was charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering and released several weeks later on a $400,000 bond, after a judge verified the source of the bond money.

The new charge — providing false information or omitting material facts in a bail application — stems from that earlier bond process. Prosecutors allege Lopez may have misrepresented or withheld information related to how her bail was funded.

On Oct. 23, Severance-Lopez was arrested again after prosecutors said she provided false or misleading information at one of her hearings regarding bond.

According to court documents, officials allege that Severance-Lopez told the court that she was financially unable to cover the costs of a GPS ankle monitor ($10 a day) nor her attorney fees, claiming bank accounts were frozen amid the investigation into her estranged husband's alleged connection to an illegal gambling operation. 

A judge denied granting her bond.

What's next:

A plea negotiation conference for Marcos Lopez is scheduled for Dec. 2.