Krishna Kumar Deokaran was apprehended on October 6 by Lake County officers to face a charge of money laundering.

The 50-year-old is alleged to have committed the acts between January and May 2024 across three Florida counties.

No further specifics have been divulged, but it is a notable update as Deokaran is one of the key witnesses in the overall case against the suspended Sheriff Marcos Lopez.

His involvement and status could directly impact the broader case against the Sheriff.

Lopez was arrested on June 4, as part of racketeering charges, after being accused of using his position to protect a massive illegal gambling operation that prosecutors say raked in over $21.6 million in dirty money.

Crucially, Deokaran was not arrested at that time, having been described in court documents as “an unindicted co-conspirator,” with prosecutors setting out that he owned and operated many of the illegal gaming rooms involved in the gambling enterprise.

Lopez’s estranged wife, Robin Lynn Severance Lopez, has now been arrested for a second time during the investigation, with the latest offense relating to bond issues.

Alleged gambling ringleader for Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez faces money laundering charge https://t.co/TJyBricoHU

— WFTV Channel 9 (@WFTV) October 28, 2025

Deokaran was “the man at the helm” of Lopez gambling operation

The activity was focused around “internet cafes” or social clubs, like The Eclipse and Fusion Social Club, that functioned as illegal casinos with slot machines and lottery games.

Following the charge made earlier this month by the Florida Office of Statewide Prosecution, Deokaran pleaded not guilty and posted a $20,000 bond, but his attorney, Dan Eckhart, has refused to comment.

In the lengthy 255-page affidavit filed in the case, as seen by ReadWrite, Deokaran was described as the man “who stood at the helm” of the gambling ring, which is thought to have made more than £21 million in its operations across Lake, Marion, Sumter, and Osceola counties in Florida.

The affidavit also detailed that Deokaran admitted to paying Lopez between $600,000 and $700,000 in gambling proceeds since 2020 to secure protection and expand the business into Osceola County.

During this arrangement, Sheriff Marcos Lopez is said to have upgraded his home and vehicle.

Image credit: WFTV/X

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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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