Jury Begins Deliberations in Florida Veterans Gambling Case

SANFORD, Fla. (Associated Press) -- Florida's statewide prosecutor has told jurors that an attorney "gamed" the legal system to help build a multimillion-dollar network of storefront casinos throughout Florida under the guise of a veterans' charity.



In rebuttal closing arguments, Nick Cox said Thursday at Kelly Mathis' trial that the Jacksonville attorney manipulated the law while helping Allied Veterans of the World set up Internet cafes in Florida.



Later Thursday, jurors could begin deliberating whether Mathis committed any crimes.


Mathis is the first of 57 defendants to go on trial in the Allied Veterans case that led to the resignation of Florida's lieutenant governor and a ban on all Internet cafes in the state.



During earlier closing arguments, his defense attorney said prosecutors had misinterpreted what was a gaming promotion and labeled it as gambling.