Jennifer Carroll (R) has resigned her position as the Lieutenant Governor of Florida, effective immediately. The resignation comes amid the fallout from a federal gambling, mail fraud, and money laundering investigation into internet cafes run by Allied Veterans of the World (“Allied Veterans”). Allied Veterans is a non-profit organization that promoted internet cafes as fundraising centers.
During her time as the co-owner of a public relations firm, she represented Allied Veterans. She also provided consulting services to Allied Veterans in 2009 and 2010 while she was a member of the Florida House of Representatives.
So far, a total of 57 individuals have been arrested and charged with illegal activity linked to a $300 million fraud orchestrated by Allied Veterans.
Governor Rick Scott issued a statement saying, “Local, state and federal law enforcement officials executed 57 arrest warrants yesterday (Tuesday, March 12) in 23 Florida counties and five additional states for individuals involved in the Allied Veterans conspiracy. They did a great job on this investigation and we appreciate their work. The joint law enforcement agencies involved put out a press release with further details on this large investigation and they can give you further information about this case.
I have been periodically updated over the course of this investigation, as it was determined appropriate by law enforcement. Out of respect to their process, that is all I will say about our knowledge of their timeline in this case. Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll consulted for this company in 2009 and 2010 when she was serving in the Florida House of Representatives. FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) interviewed Lt. Governor Carroll yesterday related to her work for the company.
Lt. Governor Carroll resigned yesterday in an effort to keep her former affiliations with the company from distracting from our important work on behalf of Florida families. I will not elaborate on the details of her resignation further, other than to say that she resigned and she made the right decision for the state and her family.
We appreciate her willingness to step up and serve our state. She was a tireless advocate for Florida’s military and our mission to create more jobs. We are grateful for her service.
I have asked ‘Let’s Get to Work’ and ‘Rick Scott for Governor’ to immediately identify any contributions from Allied Veterans or the affiliated companies named in the investigation. I want funds from those groups to be immediately given to charity. We have zero tolerance for this kind of criminal activity, period.
As to the future of the Lt. Governor’s position, Florida law provides that a Lt. Governor be in place, but we will not turn our attention to this topic until after the conclusion of the legislative session.”
Allison Tant, Democratic Party Chairwoman issued a statement saying, “Floridian’s expected an administration focused on solving the problems facing Florida’s families, but instead got a scandal plagued Governor and a revolving staff door. Rick Scott and his administration have made a mockery of the Governor’s office, embarrassing Floridians while failing to accomplish his legislative priorities. Scott campaigned on changing Tallahassee but his first three years have been more of the same corruption and waste that taxpayers have come to expect from Florida Republicans."
For Jennifer Carroll, this resignation comes after a potentially damaging scandal in July of 2012 involving allegations of widespread illegal taping inside Lt. Governors’ office and an alleged improper relationship between Carroll and a female travel aide.
Jennifer Carroll, a former Naval Officer and executive director of Florida’s Department of Veterans Affairs, has not been charged with any wrong-doing. She has said, “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 work for the families of Florida.
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