Matt Banks' brother-in-law, contractor Jesse LaCoste, arrested, charged with 5 felonies
The brother-in-law of Pensacola contractor Matt Banks was arrested Wednesday night and charged with five felony-level larceny and fraud charges.
Jesse LaCoste, who was arrested on Nov. 30 by the Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office for failing to complete at $15,000 home remodel, was arrested for the following charges:
Two counts of larceny between $20,000 and $100,000
Larceny — grand theft between $750 and $5,000
Larceny — contractor failing to refund value of work between $20,000 and $200,000
Insurance fraud between $20,000 and $100,000
LaCoste and his brother-in-law, Banks, have been embroiled in complaints and controversy in both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties for months. Many of their clients have came forward claiming the contractors pocketed tens of thousands of dollars for home remodel work they never finished, and in some cases never even began.
LaCoste's first arrest:Pensacola contractor Jesse LaCoste, Matt Banks' brother-in-law, arrested Wednesday
LaCoste's charges: Pensacola contractor Jesse LaCoste's arrest stems from unfulfilled $15K home remodel
The first state charge against LaCoste stems from a Gulf Breeze woman who told deputies she gave the contractor $15,365.21 on July 16, 2021, but work had not been started on Aug. 31, 2022.
The deputy then advised she submitted a demand letter for LaCoste to either finish the work or provide a full refund and allowed 30 days for the company to respond.
"On Sept. 19, 2022, (she) received the certified mail package back undelivered and unable to be forwarded to LaCoste Construction," states LaCoste's November arrest report. "(She) has attempted numerous times through phone calls and email to contact LaCoste but has had no response."
LaCoste was later booked into Santa Rosa County Jail on Nov. 30 and was released on Dec. 1.
A report detailing the circumstances of LaCoste's most recent arrest was not available Thursday.
After LaCoste was arrested Wednesday night, he was release an hour later at 12:42 a.m. Thursday on $130,000 bond, according to jail records.
State action:After Matt Banks furor, Sen. Broxson seeks to streamline contractor complaint process
Banks also has a pending criminal case in Escambia County after the State Attorney's Office filed charges alleging he stole thousands of dollars from a Pensacola family and failed to complete the work after he was paid.
Pensacola police put out a warrant for Banks on Aug. 10 and he was arrested by Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office deputies. He was originally charged with larceny for allegedly failing to provide a refund to a client, but the charge was changed to fraud under Florida statute covering money received by contractors.
Both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties revoked Banks and LaCoste's contractor licenses, citing failure to finish work that has been paid for and failure to remit payment after a refund was requested.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Jesse LaCoste Matt Banks brother-in-law arrested on larceny, fraud
