State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden:
“Today, Jesse LaCoste was sentenced to 30 years in state prison for just over 2-million-dollar fraud scheme that devastated homeowners throughout Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. These were not simply financial crimes – many families trusted Mr. LaCoste with their homes, their insurance proceeds, and their chance to rebuild after the destruction of Hurricane Sally. He exploited that trust and stole from people who thought they were paying to rebuild their lives. Many victims were forced to drain their retirement accounts or take out second mortgages just to repair the damage Mr. LaCoste left behind.
The jury’s swift verdict and the court’s significant sentence appropriately reflect the seriousness of the crimes committed. Let this message be clear; if you use a business to defraud the citizens of our Circuit, there will be severe consequences.
I’m grateful to the victims for their courage and persistence, our law enforcement partners, Assistant State Attorney Paul Gillespie and his Financial Crimes Unit, and former Assistant State Attorneys Russ Edgar and Mikaela Ziko, whose work made this outcome possible.”
