Jury Convicts Cantonment Contractor Jesse Wayne LaCoste Of Racketeering, Fraud

August 28, 2026

A six-person jury deliberated for less than one hour Thursday before convicting embattled contractor Jesse Wayne LaCoste of Cantonment on charges of racketeering and organized fraud over $50,000.

Jurors found LaCoste guilty under Florida’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, as well as organized fraud, for using his company, LaCoste Construction Group, to defraud dozens of area homeowners out of $2 million between 2018 and 2022.

Chief Judge John Simon is scheduled to sentence LaCoste on Monday.

Both counts are first-degree felonies, each carrying a maximum penalty of 30 years in state prison. Depending on Simon’s ruling at sentencing, LaCoste could face up to 60 additional years behind bars.

LaCoste is already serving a 10-year state prison sentence following a 2025 conviction for grand theft and contractor fraud.

Court records indicate LaCoste still faces additional trials across Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties on accusations of taking payments from clients and failing to complete the work.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under TOP STORIES