TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution has filed charges against 39 members of a significant drug-trafficking ring operating out of Volusia and Putnam counties. The group, led by Allen Messer, Toure Allen Wilder, Bobby Wilder, and Khyree Douglas Isaac, faces charges including conspiracy to traffic in fentanyl, manufacture of fentanyl, conspiracy to traffic in methamphetamine, conspiracy to traffic in cocaine, money laundering, and unlawful use of a two-way communications device.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution has secured an 18-year prison sentence for Ricardo Villarroel Duerto, the owner of a pool company found guilty of defrauding nearly 100 Florida homeowners. Villarroel, who operated Villa Pavers and Pools, was sentenced by Judge William S. Orth on charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering.
Between April 29, 2024, and May 29, 2024, the Florida Supreme Court disciplined five attorneys licensed with the Florida State Bar, with one disbarment, two suspensions, and two reprimands.
The Ninth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission has announced that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has requested the commission to provide names of nominees for two Orange County Court vacancies. Highly qualified candidates have approximately one month to submit an application.
The Thirteenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission has been convened by Governor Ron DeSantis to select and submit the names of two highly qualified candidates. These vacancies were created following Judge John Conrad’s resignation and Judge J. Logan Murphy’s appointment to the Hillsborough County Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court Bench.
In 2023, Florida witnessed a decrease in the number of "nuclear verdicts," or jury verdicts exceeding $10 million, as a result of tort reform measures aimed at curbing legal system abuse. This was reported by Marathon Strategies on May 3.