Florida’s soft-on-crime prosecutors finally met their match.
One attorney general isn’t backing down from exposing the truth.
And Monique Worrell just got caught red-handed and her response proves exactly what critics suspected.
Worrell’s furious letter exposes prosecutor who refuses accountability
Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell sent an angry letter Wednesday demanding Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier stop calling out her soft-on-crime policies.¹
The letter came after weeks of Uthmeier exposing case after case where Worrell’s office let dangerous criminals off easy.¹
"I write to demand that you cease your ongoing interference with the operations of my office," Worrell wrote in the October 15 letter.¹
Translation: Stop telling the public what I’m actually doing with these cases.
Uthmeier has been doing exactly what an attorney general should do – holding a rogue prosecutor accountable for putting criminals back on the streets.
But instead of defending her decisions on the merits, Worrell claims Uthmeier is "manufacturing a pretext" for her removal.¹
https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/1976275292592406722
That’s what prosecutors say when they know they can’t defend the indefensible.
Attorney General exposes pattern of dangerous plea deals
Uthmeier started raising red flags about Worrell’s office in September after reviewing several disturbing cases.
On September 26, Uthmeier held a press conference highlighting two "gruesome and horrific" child predator cases that Worrell’s office bungled.²
In one case, a man was caught on video masturbating on a park bench while facing multiple children playing nearby.²
Video evidence. Multiple witnesses. Open and shut case.
Worrell’s office declined to press charges, saying the case was "not suitable for prosecution."²
"She gave this man a free walk in the park, and now other kids are in jeopardy," Uthmeier said at the press conference.²
In another case, a suspect was caught sharing videos depicting sexual exploitation of children.²
Worrell dropped all charges, according to Uthmeier.²
When confronted about these cases, Worrell claimed her attorneys couldn’t prove the charges "beyond a reasonable doubt."²
But prosecutors are supposed to fight for victims – not find excuses to let predators walk free.
https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/1975547278434689261
Attempted murder case shows Worrell’s pattern of going soft
The child predator cases weren’t isolated incidents.
Last week, Uthmeier exposed how Worrell’s office pleaded down an attempted first-degree murder charge to attempted second-degree murder.³
Alain Barrett hunted down his ex-girlfriend and opened fire on her vehicle at a Krystal restaurant, squeezing off 12 rounds in an attempt to kill her.⁴
Florida law requires a minimum 20-year prison sentence for attempted first-degree murder.⁴
But Barrett walked away with a 10-year plea deal handed down in August.⁴
That means a man who tried to murder his ex-girlfriend with a dozen bullets will be back on the streets in half the time the law requires.
Worrell’s response? She accused Uthmeier of spreading "misinformation" and conducting a "political witch hunt."³
But the case files tell a different story – one of a prosecutor more interested in leniency than justice.
DeSantis was right to suspend her the first time
Governor Ron DeSantis suspended Worrell in August 2023 for "refusing to faithfully enforce the laws of Florida."⁵
DeSantis cited a clear pattern – Worrell’s office systematically avoided mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes, drug trafficking, and crimes against children.⁵
The suspension came after a teenage gunman in Orlando was accused of killing a 9-year-old girl, a journalist, and a 38-year-old woman.⁵
DeSantis pointed out that Worrell’s office had failed to keep the gunman behind bars for previous charges.⁵
"I know the state attorney in Orlando thinks that you don’t prosecute people, and that’s the way that somehow you have better communities. That does not work," DeSantis said at the time.⁵
DeSantis appointed Judge Andrew Bain to replace Worrell and bring law and order back to Orange and Osceola counties.⁵
But in November 2024, Worrell won back her seat in the deeply blue district.⁶
Now the same dangerous patterns are emerging all over again.
Uthmeier brings real prosecutorial experience to accountability fight
James Uthmeier knows what he’s talking about when it comes to criminal justice.
DeSantis appointed him as Florida’s attorney general in February 2025 after Ashley Moody left to fill Marco Rubio’s Senate seat.⁷
Before becoming AG, Uthmeier served as DeSantis’s chief of staff and helped orchestrate some of the governor’s most successful law-and-order initiatives.⁷
DeSantis called him a "bulldog in our administration" who won’t back down from a fight.⁷
"We will champion an America-first agenda, and we will fight back against the cartels, the gangs, and the traffickers that have wreaked havoc on our country for far too long," Uthmeier promised when he was sworn in.⁷
That includes holding rogue prosecutors accountable when they put criminals back on the streets.
Uthmeier has been methodical in building his case against Worrell – reviewing case files, examining plea deals, and documenting pattern after pattern of soft-on-crime decisions.
He’s not "manufacturing" anything – he’s exposing what Worrell’s office has been doing all along.
Worrell’s office drowning in backlog while she fights accountability
Here’s what makes Worrell’s attacks on Uthmeier even more outrageous.
Her office is drowning in a massive case backlog that she refuses to fix.
In April, Worrell announced her office had nearly 5,800 open cases but only 12 felony attorneys to handle them.⁸
Instead of prosecuting those cases, Worrell implemented a policy requiring law enforcement to make arrests before her office would even consider prosecuting.⁸
That policy created a backlog of more than 10,000 non-arrest cases that Worrell’s office simply refuses to touch.⁸
Uthmeier offered to send six prosecutors from his office to help clear the backlog.⁸
But Worrell spent more time complaining about Uthmeier’s "interference" than actually prosecuting criminals.
"Unlike politicians, prosecutors cannot go into court on conjecture or moral outrage," Worrell claimed in Wednesday’s letter.¹
"We are bound by law and evidence," she added.¹
That’s rich coming from a prosecutor who drops charges against child predators caught on video and pleads down attempted murder cases.
The evidence is there – Worrell just doesn’t want to use it.
Road rage case shows backward priorities
Uthmeier’s concerns about Worrell aren’t just about past cases.
On September 8, Uthmeier raised alarm bells about Worrell’s prosecution of Tina Allgeo, a 47-year-old woman charged with murder in a December 2024 road-rage incident.⁹
According to the facts, Allgeo shot and killed a man who attacked her in her car during the confrontation.⁹
Florida’s Stand Your Ground law exists precisely for situations like this – when someone defends themselves against an attacker.⁹
But Worrell charged Allgeo with second-degree murder anyway.⁹
"Monique Worrell may not like Florida’s Stand Your Ground laws, but those laws reflect our God-given right to self-defense," Uthmeier said.⁹
He urged Worrell to reconsider the prosecution and respect Florida law.⁹
Worrell refused, claiming Uthmeier was trying to "intimidate or override independent prosecutorial judgment."⁹
But when a prosecutor ignores self-defense laws to prosecute a victim, that’s not independent judgment – that’s ideological warfare against gun rights.
The Soros-backed prosecutor playbook on full display
Worrell’s approach fits perfectly with the soft-on-crime playbook that radical billionaire George Soros has funded across the country.
Worrell ran for office in 2020 promising to "bring reform to a criminal legal system that is fundamentally flawed."¹⁰
Her biography bragged about moving the system "towards justice" through equity.¹⁰
But to crime victims in Orange and Osceola counties, Worrell’s version of "justice" looks a lot like criminals getting away with it.
When Uthmeier exposes these patterns, Worrell doesn’t defend her record – she claims political persecution.
That’s the move every failing Soros prosecutor makes when held accountable.
Worrell claims victim while communities suffer
Worrell’s October 15 letter is a masterclass in deflection.
Instead of explaining why her office dropped charges against a child predator caught on video, she accuses Uthmeier of "exploiting vulnerable individuals."¹
Instead of justifying the plea deal that cut an attempted murderer’s sentence in half, she claims Uthmeier "lacks personal knowledge about sufficient legal evidence."¹
Instead of taking responsibility for the massive case backlog, she says Uthmeier is conducting a "political witch hunt."³
https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/1975547278434689261
Worrell even compared Uthmeier’s criticism to her 2023 suspension, warning that he’s "attempting to exploit that loophole" in Florida law.¹
But there’s no loophole being exploited – there’s just a prosecutor who refuses to do her job being held accountable by an attorney general who takes public safety seriously.
"Your disregard for that distinction is alarming," Worrell wrote to Uthmeier.¹
What’s actually alarming is a prosecutor who thinks she’s above criticism for letting dangerous criminals off easy.
Florida needs prosecutors who enforce the law, not excuse it
The contrast between Uthmeier and Worrell couldn’t be clearer.
Worrell sends angry letters, claims political persecution, and refuses to defend her record on the merits.
Uthmeier wants to protect victims and communities.
Worrell wants to "reform" the criminal justice system by letting criminals back on the streets.
"We are bound by law and evidence," Worrell claimed in her letter.¹
Then she should start acting like it – by prosecuting child predators caught on video, seeking mandatory minimums for attempted murder, and respecting Florida’s self-defense laws.
DeSantis had good reason to suspend Worrell in 2023.
And if the same patterns continue, Uthmeier will have every reason to recommend she be suspended again.
Florida is a law-and-order state – and prosecutors who refuse to enforce the law shouldn’t get to keep their jobs just because they won an election in a blue district.
Voters may have given Worrell a second chance, but crime victims deserve a prosecutor who will actually fight for them.
James Uthmeier is making sure they get one – whether Monique Worrell likes it or not.
¹ Brandon Hogan, "Orange-Osceola state attorney says Florida fabricating pretext for her 2nd ‘political removal,’" ClickOrlando, October 16, 2025.
² "’Gruesome and horrific’: Florida attorney general criticizes Worrell over prosecution decisions," WESH, September 26, 2025.
³ Brandon Hogan, "Orange-Osceola state attorney says Florida fabricating pretext for her 2nd ‘political removal,’" ClickOrlando, October 16, 2025.
⁴ "Florida attorney general, Orange-Osceola state attorney in back-and-forth over shooter’s sentencing," ClickOrlando, October 8, 2025.
⁵ Lauren Egan and Allan Smith, "Monique Worrell: DeSantis suspends Orlando-area state attorney in second sacking of democratically elected prosecutor," CNN Politics, August 11, 2023.
⁶ "Judge dismisses Worrell lawsuit over her 2023 suspension by DeSantis," Orlando Sentinel, November 8, 2024.
⁷ Hannah Sampson, "Gov. Ron DeSantis’ former chief of staff James Uthmeier sworn in as Florida’s attorney general," The Washington Post, February 17, 2025.
⁸ "Editorial: Florida’s unelected attorney general oversteps his bounds by taunting locals," Orlando Sentinel, April 15, 2025.
⁹ "Florida attorney general slams prosecution of woman in fatal Orlando road-rage shooting," WESH, September 8, 2025.
¹⁰ Lauren Egan and Allan Smith, "Monique Worrell: DeSantis suspends Orlando-area state attorney in second sacking of democratically elected prosecutor," CNN Politics, August 11, 2023.
