Carletha Cole will not face any charges as long as she stays out of trouble for the next 12 months. If you don't remember, Cole is the former aide to disgraced ex-Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll who, among other things, accused Carroll of enjoying a lesbian office fling and had allegedly illegally taped conversations with her chief-of-staff and leaked them to a reporter.
See also: Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll Accused of Lesbian Fling With Top Aide
Cole was arrested on the taping charges back in 2011. She allegedly had given a tape of Carroll's chief-of-staff John Konkus to a reporter. On the tape Konkus said, among other things, that Gov. Rick Scott's chief-of-staff was afraid of the lieutenant governor and that Scott himself was not a good leader. The tapes ended up on the website of The Florida Times-Union. In Florida it is illegal to tape a conversation without permission.
During the legal proceedings, however, Cole's lawyer filed court documents alleging widespread misdeeds in Carroll's office, the most explosive of which was that Cole claimed she caught Carroll in a "compromising position" with a top aide, Beatriz "Bibi" Ramos. She also claimed that Ramos and Carroll were living together.
See also: Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll Resigns Over Ties to Racketeering Case
Carroll denied those allegations, but not without managing to anger many black lesbians with her sloppy choice of words.
According to the AP, Cole, a grandmother and minister, has reached a deal that would keep her out of prison and have the charges dropped. She must perform 50 hours of community service, avoid contact with Konkus, and remain out of trouble. If she meets all those requirements, the charges will be dropped in 12 months.
Carroll, of course, resigned backed in March after she was connected to a criminal racketeering case. Gov. Scott has not yet picked a replacement and is not constitutionally required to do so.
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