Cantonment Contractor Jesse Wayne LaCoste Sentenced To 30 Years

August 31, 2026

Embattled Cantonment contractor Jesse Wayne LaCoste was sentenced Monday morning to 30 years in state prison following his conviction last week on racketeering and organized fraud charges.

Chief Judge John Simon sentenced LaCoste to 30 years on each count—racketeering and organized fraud over $50,000—with the terms ordered to run concurrently.

A six-person jury deliberated for less than one hour Thursday before finding LaCoste guilty as charged under Florida’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and organized fraud. Jurors heard testimony that LaCoste used his company, LaCoste Construction Group, to defraud dozens of area homeowners out of $2 million between 2018 and 2022.

Sentencing was delayed following the verdict so that victims could be present to speak at Monday morning’s hearing. Several victims provided testimony detailing how they paid LaCoste tens of thousands of dollars—and in some cases hundreds of thousands—for home rebuilds and repairs that were never completed or never started.

Both charges were first-degree felonies carrying a maximum of 30 years each, meaning LaCoste could have faced up to 60 years in prison if the judge had ordered the counts served consecutively.

LaCoste was previously sentenced in 2025 to 10 years in prison for grand theft and contractor fraud.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under TOP STORIES