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SANFORD, Fla. – (Associated Press) - Some of Florida's top politicians and law enforcement officials were named as defense witnesses Tuesday for a Jacksonville lawyer charged with being the mastermind behind a veterans' charity that prosecutors say was actually a gambling operation at strip malls that offered sweepstakes games across the state.
The investigation into Allied Veterans of the World led to the resignation of former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll last March after she was interviewed as part of the probe. Her firm had done work for Allied Veterans but she denied wrongdoing and has not been charged.
Kelly Mathis' defense witness list filed Tuesday includes former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, former state Agricultural Commissioner Charles Bronson and former Florida Democratic Party chair Scott Maddox. It also includes the sheriffs of Clay, Columbia, Leon, St. Johns and Suwanee counties and several prosecutors, including Dave Aronberg, the State Attorney for Palm Beach County.
Prosecutors claim the strip mall parlors contained games that were no different than slot machines. But Stone and other defense attorneys say the parlors were places where patrons could access the Internet and play sweepstakes-like games that were no different than ones offered by fast food restaurants.
Mathis' defense attorney said the politicians and law enforcement officials are listed because they had analyzed the law which he says shows that his client did nothing wrong.
"We've listed a number of witnesses who were involved with knowledge of the law and understood what Mr. Mathis had analyzed as far as the legality of the sweepstakes promotional law," said Mitchell Stone, Mathis' attorney.
Mathis was the attorney for many of the Allied Veteran affiliates which operated so-called Internet cafes, prosecutors say.
The Florida Legislature approved a sweeping ban on the storefront operations after the investigation into Allied Veterans was announced in March.
The filing of Mathis' witness list came on the same day that the 57 defendants charged with running the gambling operation had their arraignments before a judge. The defendants had earlier entered written not guilty pleas and weren't in court.
LeMieux and Maddox didn't return phone calls..
