Defendant in Sheriff Marcos Lopez casino case takes plea deal

One of the seven defendants charged in an alleged multi-million dollar illegal gambling ring has agreed to a plea deal.

The defendant in question, Carol Cote, has agreed to plead guilty to racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering charges in a deal made with prosecutors involved in the case involving suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez. The details of the deal have not yet been made public.

Cote is a Marion County resident who was named as a co-defendant in the racketeering case. She is due to be sentenced on October 13 in Lake County. A racketeering conviction in Florida is considered a first-degree felony, with a potential penalty of up to 30 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000. However, a plea deal may have negotiated a more lenient sentence for Cote.

The Sheriff Marcos Lopez racketeering case continues

The illegal gambling operation is alleged to have made more than $21 million, with Cote among seven people accused of helping or managing the operation. Authorities claim that Lopez used the illicit money to fund his election campaign to become sheriff, and then continued the ring while serving as sheriff.

Lopez would then allegedly go on to use his influence within the community to protect the club from legal scrutiny, as well as secure assets like leases and cash payments.

He was arrested on June 5 and is set to stand trial on October 20, also in Lake County. Cote is believed to have acted as the bookkeeper for the organization, making her responsible for managing the group’s financial records. Her guilty plea deal is the first conviction for the seven defendants. The charges faced by the group as a whole include racketeering, like Cote, as well as various alleged conspiracy charges.

Featured image: Osceola County Sheriff

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