Florida LT Gov. Carroll resigns, tied to Allied Veterans

UPDATE
Officials: 3 men focus of veterans charity scam
By Mitch Weiss and Russ Bynum
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Mar 14, 2013 9:09:04 EDT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Authorities in Florida say three men are at the center of a scandal involving a purported veterans charity that law enforcement officials say was a $300 million front for illegal gambling.

Jacksonville lawyer Kelly Mathis was identified by authorities Wednesday as the mastermind of the alleged racketeering scheme, which led to charges this week against nearly 60 people. Two other men, Johnny E. Duncan and Jerry Bass, were called “co-conspirators” of the operation by officials.

Authorities alleged that Mathis made about $6 million from the operation. During a news conference Wednesday, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi unveiled a poster with a photo of Mathis, linked to dozens of alleged gambling operations. Officials say he was the registered agent for 112 businesses related to the investigation, which was handled by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
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Florida Lt. Gov. resigns amid gambling scandal, racketeering probe
By Domenico Montanaro
Deputy Political Editor
NBC News
March 13, 2013

Florida’s embattled Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll (R), the first African American elected statewide and first woman to serve as lieutenant governor, has resigned amid a gambling, racketeering, and conflict-of-interest scandal.

“Effective immediately, I hereby resign the Office of Lieutenant Governor of the State of Florida. It has been an honor to have served the State of Florida in this capacity,” Carroll wrote in a brief letter to Gov. Rick Scott (R).

Carroll had been seen as a rising Republican star before a rash of bad headlines. She served as one of the national chairmen for 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney's “Black Leadership Council" with ex-Rep. Allen West (R-FL) and now-Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).

"The resignation comes two days after Florida Law Enforcement officers interviewed Carroll about her involvement with Allied Veterans of the World, a non-profit that operates internet cafes in Florida. Officials from Allied Veterans and Nelson Cuba, the president of the Jacksonville Florida Order of Police, were arrested on racketeering charges after an investigation by the IRS and Secret Service.
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