JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville attorney Kelly Mathis, once accused of being the “mastermind” behind a $300 million racketeering and money laundering scheme, has filed a federal lawsuit seeking civil remedies for what he considers wrongful prosecution in 2013.
Mathis told First Coast News, "it is time for me to pursue my civil remedies for the wrongful and malicious prosecution against the responsible parties."
Mathis, representing himself, has filed a federal lawsuit against the following people:
- Donald Eslinger, former sheriff of Seminole County
- James "Sammy" Gibson, former captain and officer with the Seminole County Sheriff's Department
- April Kirsheman, who served as Eslinger's general counselor
- Pam Bondi, former Attorney General of the State of Florida
- Nicholas Cox, statewide prosecutor of the Office of Attorney General, State of Florida
Mathis said each person named in the lawsuit were involved in a conspiracy to prosecute him and his client without any legal basis.
Mathis' lawsuit is seeking $50 million.
The former Jacksonville Bar Association president faced a 2013 arrest, jury conviction, four days in jail and several levels of appeal over his legal representation of the non-profit organization, Allied Veterans of the World.
The non profit came under fire in that same year when 57 of its representatives and operators were arrested on charges of illegal gambling, operation of a lottery, slot machines and racketeering.
The organization at the time operated 50 Internet gaming cafes in Florida, all of which were shut down by police in a gambling bust spearheaded by Seminole County law enforcement.
Attorney General Pam Bondi accused Mathis of being the “mastermind” behind the operation, but Mathis' attorneys argued that he was only giving legal advice to a client, and that the internet "sweepstakes" were legal.
“Those individuals were involved in a conspiracy to prosecute me and my client without legal basis,” Mathis said.
Mathis' license to practice law was suspended pending the gambling charges. After his arrest and freezing of his law firm's bank account, he said he lost employees and his law office.
“It is now time to try and make those who did this to me, who took away my livelihood, my practice, four years of my life, to hold them accountablem,” he said.
Mathis' conviction was overturned by the District Court of Appeals in October 2017, which ruled Mathis was not given the opportunity to call certain witnesses in his defense at his first trial.
He has regained his right to practice law again and he continues to represent clients who are operating internet cafes.
He hopes he does not face similar prosecution to what he faced six years ago.
He claims his clients, are operating under the law, and he says his legal work on behalf of clients should not make him a target.
“They deserve a lawyer, they deserve legal representation, and you can’t take that away merely by claiming the lawyer was involved so we’re going to arrest him too. And that’s the real egregious part about it.”