KISSIMMEE, Fla. — One week after investigators arrested Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez and named five defendants in an illegal gambling operation, three defendants are currently out on bond.

What You Need To Know

  • Three out of five defendants named in an illegal gambling operation investigation in Osceola and Lake counties are currently out on bond

  • Suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez is the only defendant who remains behind bars as of Thursday

  • One person, identified as Ying Zhang, has not yet been apprehended, investigators say

  • Gustavo Torres, the former deputy treasurer for Lopez's 2024 sheriff campaign, told News 13 he was not aware of the allegations against Lopez

Investigators originally stated that the illegal gambling operation generated more than $21 million.

Gustavo Torres, who served as the deputy treasurer for Marcos Lopez when he was running for reelection to Osceola County Sheriff in 2024, shared a statement Thursday distancing himself from the allegations against Lopez.

“As a certified public accountant who served as treasurer for the campaign of former Sheriff Marcos Lopez in 2024, I want to make clear that I had no knowledge whatsoever of the allegations recently made against him.

In my role, I was responsible for the campaign’s financial reporting based on the information delivered to me by the campaign. The resulting reports remain publicly available through the Supervisor of Elections. At all times, I carried out those duties with integrity and professionalism. I have no other information than what was filed online, nor any information processed appeared to come from questionable sources or illegal acts.

If the allegations are proven true, I strongly condemn such conduct. There is no place for abuse of public trust, and I stand firmly in support of law, order, and the principle that no one is above the law.”

Investigators said that one person accused of being involved in the alleged gambling ring, identified by authorities as Ying Zhang, is the only named defendant who has not been taken into custody. Currently, Lopez is the only defendant who remained behind bars as of Thursday. His bond is set at $1 million.

Additionally, defendants Carol Cote and Sharon Fedrick both bonded out last week. Co-defendant Sheldon Wetherholt bonded out of jail on Wednesday, the same day he turned himself in.

“I acknowledge that I did the licenses and the leases. Yes,” Wetherholt said after being released from custody.

When asked if he felt like he was being unfairly targeted, Wetherholt said: “Well, it kind of looks that way now, doesn’t it?”

“I mean, I am learning a hard lesson the hard way," he added. "I mean, I’m looking at the rest of my life in prison. Sixty-year-old man with two children that I take care of at home that are depending on me because of their problems. And yeah, I feel like my whole world is crumbling down right now.”

Wetherholt said he did not personally know Lopez.