Mathis is one of the 57 defendants in the case that used an organization named Allied Veterans to skim $300 million from Internet cafes in six states. The group was apparently created as a nonprofit organization for veterans and was in operation since 1979. The group operated 49 Internet cafes in Florida, and it was found that out of the $300 million raised by the group through Internet gambling, only $6 million made its way in the form of charitable donations to veterans.
The fourth member of the group, Johnny Duncan, 62, is known as a professional scammer, and was charged in 1987 for creating a fake charity to sponsor bingo games. He made the games South Carolina's largest bingo network, within two years of debut.
Mathis argued that he did not involve himself in the operations of these businesses, but that he only provided legal advice to Allied Veterans. Mathis seemed confident that the sentence would be overturned on appeal, as his part was nothing more than that of a lawyer, and providing advice.
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