SANFORD, Fla. – An attorney convicted of leading a $300 million gambling ring that used a veterans charity as a front has been sentenced to is years in prison.
Jacksonville attorney Kelly Mathis received the sentence Wednesday after a Florida judge listened to character witnesses describe the lawyer as a man of integrity who loved his family.
Mathis' attorneys argued that he should be spared prison given he only provided legal advice to Allied Veterans of America.
But Statewide Prosecutor Nick Cox said Mathis deserved prison for engaging in deception. Cox said Mathis was responsible for marrying the gambling operation with the veterans charity.
Mathis was convicted last year of 103 counts of racketeering, possessing slot machines and other charges.
He will remain free on bond pending appeals.