Fla. Lieutenant Governor Quits Amid Charity Inquiry

Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll abruptly resigned Tuesday after being questioned by law-enforcement officials about links between her public-relations company and a purported veterans charity at the center of an illegal gambling investigation, according to the Miami Herald and Reuters.

Ms. Carroll’s firm represented Allied Veterans of the World during part of her seven-year tenure in the Florida legislature, and she appeared in an advertisement for the organization after her election to statewide office in 2010.

Authorities allege dozens of Internet cafes run by the Florida-based nonprofit group were a front for gaming centers that have taken in $300-million since 2008, less than 2 percent of which went to veterans’ causes. Fifty-seven people were arrested Tuesday on racketeering, gambling, and money-laundering charges.

Ms. Carroll said in a statement that she is cooperating with investigators. “Although I do not believe I or my company are targets of the investigation, I could not allow my company’s former affiliation with Allied Veterans to distract from the administration’s important work for the families of Florida,” she said.