TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – A Florida ethics panel concluded that former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll likely broke the state’s ethics law after failing to disclose money paid to a company she controlled.
Carroll was forced to resign in March 2013 after state investigators questioned the work she did for Allied Veterans of the World before she ran with Gov. Rick Scott. The veterans charity was accused of running an $300 million illegal gambling operation.
State investigators eventually concluded that Carroll, a Republican, did not break any criminal laws, but last year they asked the Florida Commission on Ethics to review the case.
The commission announced Wednesday that it had found probable cause that Carroll broke the law because she did not disclose all of her income on mandatory financial disclosure forms.
Carroll was cleared of any wrongdoing on two other ethics charges, including whether she accepted payment to influence her work as a legislator.
Carroll said she does not plan to challenge the findings, but maintained it was a mistake and not intentional. She also said that Scott was wrong to force her to resign when the Allied Veterans investigation became public.
“If they find a reason to fine me for that, so be it,” said Carroll in an email. “What I would like is a public apology from Governor Scott for his knee jerk reaction to ask for my resignation where no probable cause or evidence presented itself to implicate me to the issues with Allied Veterans.”
Jackie Schutz, a spokeswoman for Scott, said that the governor appreciated her service but that she “made the right decision for her family by resigning.”
During its investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement discovered that Carroll’s company was paid nearly $100,000 by Allied Veterans in 2009 and 2010 for her work as a public relations consultant. Most of the money was then transferred to her personal banking account.
Carroll, who was a state legislator at the time, did not report earning that much on either mandatory financial disclosure forms she filed with the state or on her federal income tax filings. She changed them only after she was questioned by state investigators about it.
It was during the investigation that Carroll’s attorney turned over her 2010 income tax filing. Investigators noted she reported to the IRS earning $48,000, but Allied Veterans records showed they had paid Carroll’s company $72,000 that year.
While she was in the Legislature, Carroll filed a bill that could have affected Allied Veterans. She told state investigators that it was not her intent to sponsor the bill but that it was supposed to be a “placeholder.” She blamed her aide for mistakenly filing the bill and said she withdrew it.
The abrupt resignation of Carroll short-circuited what had been a promising career in Florida politics.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.
