Overview
- Lake County Judge Brian Welke on Feb. 5 denied the defense motion to compel discovery after prosecutors agreed to arrange access to materials.
- Statewide Prosecutor Panagiota Papakos and Lopez’s lawyers will meet at FDLE and HSI in Orlando to copy evidence, including about seven terabytes of Eclipse casino surveillance video.
- The court scheduled a March 24 status check on discovery progress, with a separate late-March hearing to examine a potential conflict involving defense attorney Migdalia Perez.
- Lopez has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys say he will not change that plea as the case moves toward trial.
- Defense counsel estimates trial is at least six months away, with several co-defendants already pleading guilty and one defendant believed to have fled to China.