Contractor Matt Banks Jailed To Await Trial After Bond Revoked

May 1, 2023

Embattled local contractor Matthew Scott Banks is back in the Escambia County Jail, this time without bond to await trial.

Escambia County John Simon ruled that Banks, 39,violated the terms of his pretrial release by committing new offenses of workers compensation fraud and tampering with evidence. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail without bond.

The ruling came in a case involving an August 2022 arrest on a third degree felony charge of contractor fail to refund filed by the Pensacola Police Department. He was released on bond at that time.

Then, in April 2023, a grand jury indicted Banks for racketeering, aggravated white collar crime, organized fraud, and tampering with evidence. The first three counts are first degree felonies and are each punishable by up to 30 years in prison, and the fourth count is punishable by up to five years in prison.

He was released from jail on a $150,000 bond just nine minutes after his arrest. Last week, Judge Simon ruled the additional charges in the indictment violated his terms of release in the 2022 case.

“Matthew Banks, a local contractor, personally and through his business Banks Construction, engaged in a pattern of criminal activity and stole over $5 million in funds, materials and services from more than 150 victims.,” ” State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden said after the indictment.

“The defendant, in this case, has been charged and will be brought to justice for exploiting innocent victims who were trying to improve their lives for his personal gain,” said Madden. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold him accountable for taking advantage of people by stealing their money and robbing them of trust in businesses. This arrest proves he is not representative of our many reputable contractors.”

The second case was investigated by the Office of State Attorney Division of Investigations, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Pensacola Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Department of Agriculture, and the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Investigative and Forensic Services.

Banks’ next scheduled court appearance is in July.

Comments

7 Responses to “Contractor Matt Banks Jailed To Await Trial After Bond Revoked”

  1. Robert on May 3rd, 2023 11:03 am

    Finally this scumbag gets to do some jail time…How he kept getting arrested and let out on a bond was crazy…especially since the bond money came from funds he stole from clients!!!!!!

  2. ensley boy on May 1st, 2023 10:31 am

    I am amazed. that a person is given a chance to stay out of jail until the trail does something so stupid and winds right back in the place that they were trying to avoid.

  3. Eric M on May 1st, 2023 10:10 am

    I hope this piece of garbage rots in prison, along with anyone else who helped him.
    That includes adult family members who knew what he was doing, but loved that extra 5 million in cash more than the lives that he destroyed.

  4. KARMA on May 1st, 2023 9:27 am

    Well it’s about time they shut him down, he’s a discrace to this county, taking these people’s hard earned money, when they were trying to fix their homes up due to hurricanes and different catastrophies. Shows you just what type of person he is. Now they need to get his kin folk Lacoste and throw him in with him. They need to freeze their accounts and let them start over from scratch and see how it feels to get stolen from, when you already don’t have much in the beginning and are just trying to fix your home up. Pure sorry individuals!!!

  5. Susie on May 1st, 2023 9:02 am

    Positive proof that what goes around, comes around.

  6. Bill on May 1st, 2023 8:22 am

    He and his BIL need to have all of their ill gotten gains liquidated and dispersed to the victims. Both of them are the scum of the earth

  7. Steve on May 1st, 2023 5:57 am

    turn out the lights , the parties over .

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News