Driver Sentenced to 7 Years Prison Term in West Boca Fatal Crash

Carlos Madeira Cardoso (Photo: Palm Beach County Jail)

The driver of a vehicle involved in a fatal accident with a Boca Raton pedestrian in April 2024 has been sentenced to a seven-year prison term, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.

Carlos Madeira Cardoso, 41, of Port St. Lucie, was driving his 2011 GMC Acadia near the intersection of U.S. 441 (SR-7) and Sandalfoot Drive when he struck a pedestrian, later identified as Martin Albert Barry, 65, of Boca Raton, on April 6, 2024. Barry sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly after arrival.

Cardoso was sentenced Wednesday after entering a guilty plea March 6, 2026 to two charges: leaving the scene of a crash involving death and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. According to police records, Cardoso fled the scene after hitting Barry after presumably running a red light. He was identified through security footage, license plate readers and the serial numbers of parts of his vehicle that were left at the scene following the accident. He was then accused of intentionally trying to hide the vehicle in a garage in Port St. Lucie.

Cardoso was sentenced to seven years on the charge of leaving the scene of an accident and five years on the tampering charge, which will run concurrently. A mandatory minimum of four years must be served, and Cardoso’s license will be revoked for three years, according to court records.