Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s demand that murder charges be dropped in an alleged Orlando road rage shooting — a case of political intervention in the justice system so unusual it drew criticism from both prosecutors and defense attorneys — led Thursday to a plea deal on a lesser charge and a shorter sentence.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, what had been scheduled as a hearing to determine whether Tina Allgeo acted in self-defense under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law when she killed 42-year-old Mihail Tsvetkov in December instead ended with Allgeo pleading no contest to aggravated battery with a vehicle. Tsvetkov had assaulted Allgeo after she struck his car.
Under the plea agreement, Allgeo, 48, will serve a maximum of 18 months in state prison, followed by 10 years of probation, which can be reduced to five years.
The deal was reached after two days of negotiations between Allgeo’s attorney, Mark O’Mara, and Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell.
Speaking to reporters outside the Orange County Courthouse, Worrell pointed to Uthmeier’s Sept. 8 ultimatum — demanding that the case be dropped entirely or she would face “further intervention” — as the reason her office decided to quickly resolve the matter. She added that Uthmeier never contacted her office to discuss the case, which would have “given him a more informed process by which to comment on the case.”
“This is not the accountability that I would have liked to see in this case; however, based on the interference of the attorney general, this is the justice that this case has come to,”
said Worrell, emphasizing that prosecutors “should not speak on a case in a manner that can influence the outcome.”
O’Mara — known for defending George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case — said he believed he would have prevailed in a motion to dismiss the charges under Stand Your Ground. Still, he agreed that aggravated battery was more appropriate than second-degree murder.
Uthmeier’s involvement, however, “was horrific — beneficial to my client, maybe, in some weird sense — but I don’t think it’s appropriate for any politician to get involved in the system,” O’Mara said, denying that he had sought the attorney general’s help.
Allgeo’s case was one of several cited in letters Worrell’s office recently sent to Uthmeier and Gov. Ron DeSantis, accusing them of trying to “manufacture a pretext” to remove her from office — as DeSantis had done in 2023.
In a statement posted to X, Uthmeier celebrated the outcome:
“We’re glad to see that Orlando State Attorney Worrell took our advice and dropped the unjust murder charge against Tina Allgeo this morning. Ms. Allgeo clearly acted in self-defense. In Florida, we will protect the right to stand your ground against violent aggressors.”
Prosecutors said Allgeo’s actions — following Tsvetkov after their initial collision and striking his car — triggered the deadly encounter. According to investigators, after Allgeo sideswiped his car, Tsvetkov got out and attacked her through the car door, leading to the shooting.
“I truly believe that we would and should have won this hearing this morning,” O’Mara said. “There are no facts that would support anybody ripping open the car door and beating somebody in their own car for any reason whatsoever.”
Worrell disagreed, saying video evidence would have shown the incident stemmed from mutual road rage, not lawful self-defense.
“This is a case of road rage where two people made some pretty bad decisions in their driving,” she said. “Those decisions escalated act after act after act, leading up to Ms. Allgeo intentionally ramming her vehicle into Mr. Tsvetkov’s … and provoking a reaction from him.”
O’Mara said Allgeo would not appeal the plea:
“Though it’s troubling and difficult, she has come to terms to accept what she’s done.”
After the hearing, Allgeo was released and ordered to report to the Orange County Jail on Dec. 27, allowing her to spend Christmas with her family before serving her sentence.
Before sentencing, Tsvetkov’s sister, Daniela Cvetkova, addressed the court, describing her brother as a car enthusiast who gave up his dreams in Germany to support her while she pursued a medical degree.
“He left behind his dreams and his familiar life to help build mine,” Cvetkova said. “That kind of loyalty and quiet courage was simply part of his character and was who he really was.”
To Allgeo, she added quietly:
“I have nothing to say to you.”
