- January 11, 2026
A Leon County circuit judge has agreed to delay the criminal trial of a former chief financial officer of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence after former President and CEO Tiffany Carr pleaded no contest this week to felony charges stemming from allegations of bilking the state out of money earmarked for domestic-violence shelters.
Judge Stephen Everett on Thursday, Jan. 8, issued an order delaying the start of Patricia Duarte’s trial to May 4. Duarte’s trial had been scheduled to start Jan. 20, but her attorneys asked for a continuance after Everett on Jen. 5 approved a plea agreement in Carr’s case. The plea agreement included a plan for Carr to testify against Duarte. Carr appeared by Zoom at the Jan. 5 plea hearing because she was being treated for an undisclosed medical condition.
In a motion for a continuance filed Jan. 7, Duarte’s attorneys said Carr has not appeared in Florida during the proceedings and pointed to complications in scheduling a deposition to take Carr’s testimony.
“Ms. Duarte is currently trying to set a date for Ms. Carr’s deposition, as Carr was described this past Monday (during the plea hearing) as ‘vital’ to the government’s case. … Given Ms. Carr’s decision to cooperate against her subordinate employee, defendant Duarte must move for a continuance of the trial,” Duarte’s attorneys wrote.
In announcing charges against Carr and Duarte in 2023, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement alleged that they “submitted false quarterly reports, billed the state for vacant positions and charged for services never provided.
The ill-gotten funds were used for excessive bonus and leave payouts to Carr and Duarte in the amounts of $3.4 million to Carr and $291,000 for Duarte.” Carr pleaded no contest Jan. 5 to charges of organized fraud and official misconduct. She is expected to be sentenced to 10 years of probation, contingent on her cooperation in the case against Duarte.
