NorthEscambia.com reports that Matthew Banks of Banks Construction has been arrested on an outstanding Pensacola Police Department warrant issued by the Pensacola Police Department. He surrendered at the Okaloosa County Jail Wednesday evening on a a third degree felony charge of contractor fail to refund. He was released on bond.
Emails have poured into the office regarding Banks Construction:
From Shannon Jones shared this email she sent to Commissioner Steven Barry yesterday: Mr. Banks came to our home in September 2021 and gave us a quote for some cabinets. He required a $6,300 deposit up front, and told us our project would be finished by November 2021. We gave him a check and he cashed it within a day. Since then, NO work was ever completed on our home. It was one excuse after another.
Thankfully, I made a post on Facebook and found a group of other victims. That group currently has 64 individuals who were also defrauded by Matt Banks or his brother-in-law, Jesse LaCoste.
I watched the commissioners’ meeting today and noticed Mr. May had to bring this item to the table for discussion. If it was not for the Facebook group, my husband and I would have NO idea where to turn for help. We have been piecing together next steps with the help of other victims.
Although we are still somewhat early in the process, we do not hold out hope that we will ever see our $6,300 in hard-earned dollars or the cabinets we worked for. We are law-abiding taxpayers, but we truly feel that the county has let us and many others down by allowing Mr. Banks to continue to pursue new business while he was not completing existing work.
From Jennifer Grant: I met Matt Banks in January 2022 after reading his positive reviews online and looking at the pictures on his company’s Facebook page of his work.
Matt came to my home and I discussed with him that I wanted to add a room addition so I could move my 82-year-old widowed Mother in with me. Matt said his company could easily build the room addition and that he would be on site every day to oversee the work.
I had several other companies come out and give me estimates, but I ultimately decided on hiring Matt Banks. Matt Banks met with me and my mother on January 27, 2022, to sign the contract and for me to give Matt a check for the down payment. I was told by Matt that my down payment of $53,375.00 was for permits, plans, drawings, blueprints and materials. I wrote the check and signed the contract, and Matt hand wrote he would start within six weeks.
In April 2022 after not hearing anything from Matt in over two months, I began to call, text and email. All of April and most of May I spent trying to get any response from Matt Banks or anyone from his company.
At the end of May, I met a lady on Facebook and she had asked for anyone who had dealt with Matt Banks to private message her. Well, I messaged her and that’s when everything started adding up. She told me Matt had not done any work for her after she gave him $40,000.00.
I contacted the Escambia county competency board and I filed a complaint. I went to the sheriff’s department on June 2, 2022, and filed a theft report. I have been to my hearing for probable cause and I’m waiting on the disciplinary hearing on September 7, 2022.
Banks took my $53,275.00 and did absolutely no work. Nothing!
I’m extremely upset that someone can get away with doing this to people. My whole world is turned upside down now trying to figure out how to get a room built with half the amount I was quoted. I want Matt Banks to be arrested and I want him to understand how much damage he has done.
From Christina Monlux: Although my case with Banks is not as tragic as others, I have continued to seek out and support the other victims, provide them with a community of like-minded individuals with the same end game, and provide them with the tools to move forward and a platform to discuss plans of action. To date, I have acquired just under 150 Banks Victims and over 10 Lacoste victims (that number is rising by the day).
From Nikki Whitfield: $17,500 for a kitchen remodel. Recently been diagnosed with several disorders. Banks promised me because of my illnesses he’d “push me to top of list” that was February 4th of 2021.
Nothing.
If you have experience with Banks Constuction or LaCoste Construction, please email me at rick@inweekly.net.