JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Action News is pouring through hundreds of new documents related to the arrest of dozens of people in an Internet gambling sting.
In 2010, Action News cameras were allowed inside one of the Allied Veterans of the World Internet casinos. Computers were everywhere. On them, the sheriff in Seminole County said was an elaborate scheme. "Through a 3-year investigation, it revealed a sophisticated network designed for personal profit," said Sheriff Donald Eslinger.
Investigators say Jacksonville attorney Kelly Mathis was at the center of it. He's now in jail. "He was face of the organization and we believe he was the mastermind," said Sheriff Eslinger.
Action News' Catherine Varnum sat down in 2010 with Mathis to ask him if there was gambling going on in the centers. He told us no, and said people pay to go online and, in return, get the chance to win a sweepstakes.
But investigators say they were breaking the law. Gambling isn't allowed in Florida. "You can't distinguish between a slot machine in Vegas and one in the Allied Veterans centers," said Sheriff Eslinger.
Investigators say the money was being funneled between for-profits and the non-profit organization, Allied Veterans of the World Inc. and Affiliates.
Jacksonville's Jerry Bass is the national commander. It's an organization meant to help veterans.
The sheriff says Mathis and dozens more were hiding it.
"The premise of the charity is a lie," said Sheriff Eslinger.
We poured through hundreds of pages of documents that show Bass, Mathis and the organization's former national commander raked in $30 million alone. According to the documents, there are more than 200 bank accounts showing how the money was moved and between who. But of the nearly $300 million, only 2 percent allegedly went to veterans.
The sheriff says Mathis and Bass have been trying to skirt the law for years.
"They never wanted anyone to see what was really behind the curtain," said Sheriff Eslinger.
Action News has learned a lien was placed on Jerry Bass' home in Arlington after his arrest.
