The suspended Palm Beach County clerk of court accused of child sex abuse in Orange County was allowed to bond out of jail Friday night.
Michael Caruso appeared before a judge in Orange County on Friday. The judge determined that the evidence presented by investigators during Friday’s nearly three-hour-long hearing was not enough to keep him in jail.
“There is insufficient evidence for the court to make a finding of a substantial probability that the defendant committed the offense,” he said.
Caruso got $160,000 bond. He’s to have no contact with victims or witnesses, must surrender his passport to the clerk, cannot come back to Orange County except for court dates, and cannot possess firearms.
After posting bond, Caruso denied the allegations when asked about them by reporters, saying, “I maintain my innocence completely.”
He declined to answer other questions, including one by News 6 about the cruise at the center of part of the investigation.
A statement from Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office decried the decision:
“This is an appalling order by the court that is not supported by the facts in this case.
“We will be seeking an immediate review of this unsupported decision to ensure a dangerous person is off the streets and behind bars where he belongs.”
When asked by News 6 about Uthmeier’s characterization of him as a “dangerous person,” Caruso replied, “No comment.”
Caruso, 67, is accused of sexually abusing a relative under the age of 12 for over two years.
An FDLE agent testified the abuse took place on at least two separate occasions, at an Orange County home in November 2024 and on a family cruise last August.
Caruso’s wife Tracy Caruso also took the stand Friday, suggesting that her husband would stay with her while out on bond. She also blew him a kiss at one point.
Caruso, who has denied any wrongdoing, has retained prominent criminal defense attorney Donna Rotunno for his team.
Rotunno represented movie producer Harvey Weinstein during his 2020 New York rape trial.
Caruso’s defense team sought to poke holes in the investigation throughout the pre-trial hearing, including by pointing out that on the cruise allegation, law enforcement could not narrow down the exact day it happened.
Caruso faces five felony charges, including kidnapping, molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child and child abuse.
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Caruso, a former state legislator, to lead the Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller’s Office last year. He also suspended him following his arrest.
“He’s in for a world of hurt if these allegations are proven in a court of law,” DeSantis said at an event in Orlando this week.