Police Union Linked to Fla. Charity Gaming Scandal
March 15, 2013 | Read Time: 1 minute
The president of the Jacksonville, Fla., police union’s charity arm was removed from office Thursday, two days after his arrest in connection with an alleged $300-million gambling scam involving a nonprofit veterans’ group , The Florida Times-Union writes.
Nelson Cuba was ousted by the Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police Foundation’s board amid a wide-ranging inquiry into Allied Veterans of the World, which investigators contend used a string of Internet cafes as fronts for electronic casinos.
According to another Times-Union article, Allied Veterans contributed $90,000 to the police-union charity in 2010 and ’11, and investigators said in an affidavit released Wednesday that it used police contacts “to protect and promote itself” and the alleged gambling operation.
Mr. Cuba remains head of the police union itself. He and the union’s vice president, Robbie Freitas, were among 57 people arrested Tuesday in connection with the Allied Veterans investigation, and Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll resigned that day after being questioned about ties between her public-relations firm and the veterans’ group.
