Chief Clerk of the Palm Beach Circuit Court in Florida, Michael Caruso, will go on trial on five charges related to child molestation. The Republican previously, as a local legislator, voted for the introduction of state execution for pedophiles, Newsweek notes.
Florida Attorney General James Utmeyer confirmed the arrest of Caruso, 67, on Tuesday. A press release from the prosecutor's office emphasized that the charges could be expanded and the official would be held in custody without the possibility of bail.
According to Newsweek and NBC 6, Caruso's likely victim was a child under 12, according to court documents. His parents trusted the man who was their relative enough to leave the boy alone with him. They eventually became suspicious when the child began to “behave inappropriately.”
UPDATE: Michael Allen Caruso, a former state legislator whom Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed as Palm Beach County's clerk of courts and comptroller, was arrested early Tuesday morning on allegations of kidnapping and molesting a child. https://t.co/60oqaZvF4A
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) August 18, 2026
Caruso is charged with kidnapping, molestation, indecent exposure, inciting a child to commit unlawful acts and abuse of a minor causing psychological injury. According to authorities, the child has been communicating with psychologists since spring.
Caruso likely realized the illegality of his actions, since in response to questions from the boy’s father, he admitted that he was now “going to jail,” notes NBC 6. The abuse, according to authorities, lasted almost a year from the fall of 2024 to August 2025 and occurred, including when the family gathered for the holidays.
Due to the age of the likely victim, Caruso could face the death penalty if found guilty in court. In 2023, the Republican was one of the lawmakers who supported capital punishment in the Florida House of Representatives for pedophiles whose victims were children under 12 years old. The law was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis and took effect.
Caruso was considered an ally of DeSantis, and in 2025, it was the governor who appointed him to the position of Palm Beach Circuit Court Clerk and Auditor. In connection with the arrest of the official, Desantis dismissed him.
At a news conference, the governor called the allegations “horrible” and said that no one “certainly knew” what Caruso was doing. A check of his background did not reveal any problems at the time of his appointment, Desantis emphasized.
