SANFORD, Fla. – Nelson Cuba pleaded guilty Tuesday to three charges connected to the Allied Veterans of the World fraud case.
The former Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Fraternal Order of Police president pleaded guilty to running an illegal lottery (felony), illegally structuring financial transactions (felony) and illegal possession of a slot machine (misdemeanor).
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Cuba had been indicted on over 100 counts and was sentenced to a year of house arrest, followed by four years probation. He made a $30,000 payment to a homeless veterans charity in the Orlando area and will pay an additional $250 a month for the duration of his house arrest and probation.
Cuba surrendered his law enforcement certification, so he can never be a police officer again.
Cuba was the last defendant to be adjudicated in the case, which dismantled a $300 million operation, netted 57 arrests, brought a six-year prison sentence for Jacksonville attorney Kelly Mathis and led to the resignation of former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll.
Mathis, who was identified by prosecutors as the mastermind, was the only defendant to go to trial. He is currently free pending appeal.
Robbie Freitas, the former vice president of the FOP, also pleaded guilty in the scandal to illegal possession of a slot machine and illegally structuring financial transactions.
Prosecutors said Cuba and Freitas were linked to five Allied Veterans affiliates -- three in Duval County and two in Nassau -- and deposited $576,100 into an FOP Foundation account between Sept. 4, 2009 and Dec. 30, 2011, followed by $571,400 in withdrawals.
The withdrawals were made every week or two, all in round amounts below $10,000.
In November, Cuba and the FOP Foundation surrendered funds in four bank accounts to the state of Florida.