Fraud in St. Lucie County, Florida
330 cases (2025) · St. Lucie County courts
Updated July 2026 · 2025 data
St. Lucie County in 2025 balanced conviction with leniency: 70% guilty verdicts alongside a 4.8% dismissal rate—more than double the statewide 1.9%—indicating selective prosecution where weak cases were declined. Withheld adjudication was near statewide levels at 20.6%. However, diversion was minimal at 3%, half the state average, suggesting the prosecutor favored trial outcomes over program-based alternatives. The 1.5% acquittal rate was notable, indicating trial juries sometimes rejected charges.
Defendants entering sentencing faced severe penalties: average sentences of 895 days (nearly 2.5 years) with 56% incarcerated in prison or jail. Median jail time reached 559 days, and probation averaged over 3.5 years—among the longest in the dataset. Fines averaged $604, moderate for fraud. Counsel was evenly distributed between private and public defenders, suggesting mixed defendant economics.
Before Court: State Attorney Decisions
Not every Fraud charge in St. Lucie County makes it in front of a judge. Of 1,267 prosecutor decisions on Fraud charges (2023-2025), the State Attorney declined to file, dropped, or dismissed 21.7% — below the 33.7% statewide rate. These decisions happen early in a case, before trial.
Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement, State Attorney case data (2023-2025). Rates are per charge, not per defendant — a dropped charge often reflects a plea agreement on another charge in the same case, not the case going away. Percentages are of charges receiving a prosecution decision; transfers between courts are excluded. Court outcome data on this page is a separate dataset covering cases that reached disposition. Statewide charging patterns: The Florida Prosecution Report.
Outcome Breakdown (2025)
Exhibit · Case outcomes (2025)
Largest outcomeGuilty — 70.0% of 330 cases.
Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 330 cases · 2025 — FloridaCourtFile.com
Sentencing Breakdown (2025)
Exhibit · Sentencing when convicted (2025)
Confinement-type detail below is computed across all available years (2023-2025).
| Confinement Type | Count | Avg Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| County Jail | 271 | 5.4 months |
| State Prison Facility | 252 | 3.2 years |
Convicted defendants' full sentencing detail — sentence ranges, fines, prison vs. probation odds: Fraud sentencing in St. Lucie County.
Counsel Analysis (2025)
Demographics (2025)
Demographic data reflects systemic patterns in the criminal justice system and should not be used to draw conclusions about any racial or ethnic group. Disparities may reflect differences in policing, prosecution, and socioeconomic factors rather than actual crime rates.
| Race | Cases | Guilty Rate | Dismissal Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 155 | 74.8% | 7.1% |
| White | 116 | 74.1% | 3.4% |
Age Distribution (2025)
Year-Over-Year Trends
Exhibit · Disposition trends
| Year | Cases | Guilty Rate | Dismissal Rate | Avg Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 326 | 64.1% | 3.7% | 1 year, 4 months |
| 2024 | 338 | 65.4% | 3.6% | 1 year, 5 months |
| 2025 | 330 | 70.0% | 4.8% | 2.4 years |
Quarterly detail
Quarterly figures recompute from monthly disposition counts; quarters with fewer than 30 cases are suppressed.
Charge Level Breakdown
| Level | Degree | Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Felony | Third Degree | 705 |
| Misdemeanor | First Degree | 189 |
| Felony | Second Degree | 77 |
| Felony | First Degree | 15 |
| Misdemeanor | Second Degree | 8 |
Related Charges in St. Lucie County
Rates shown are 2025 unless marked otherwise.
| Charge | Cases | Guilty Rate | Dismissal Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Possession | 1,426 | 69.4% | 10.0% |
| Traffic Offense | 761 | 80.3% | 0.4% |
| Battery | 589 | 53.7% | 11.7% |
| Larceny / Theft | 619 | 76.1% | 3.2% |
| DUI | 584 | 99.3% | 0.0% |
| Other | 574 | 81.7% | 4.4% |
| Resisting Officer | 383 | 76.2% | 7.3% |
| Trespassing | 253 | 68.4% | 14.2% |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the guilty rate for Fraud in St. Lucie County?
The guilty rate is 70.0% based on 330 cases (2025).
How often is adjudication withheld for Fraud in St. Lucie County?
Adjudication is withheld in 20.6% of cases (2025). This is a Florida-specific outcome where the court finds guilt but does not formally convict, allowing the defendant to avoid a conviction record under FL Statute 948.01.
What is the average sentence for Fraud in St. Lucie County?
The average sentence is 2.4 years, with an average fine of $604 (2025).
What percentage use a public defender vs private attorney?
36.1% of defendants use a public defender, while 33.6% retain private counsel (2025).
Cite this page
FloridaCourtFile.com (2026). Fraud in St. Lucie County, Florida (2025). Based on 330 public court records; last updated July 2026. https://www.floridacourtfile.com/charges/fraud/st-lucie
About this data: Statistics are derived from FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency records for St. Lucie County. "Guilty" includes all cases where the defendant was found guilty. "Adjudication withheld" is a Florida-specific disposition where guilt is found but the court withholds formal adjudication under FL Statute 948.01. "Dismissed" includes all cases dismissed by the court or prosecution.
Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 330 cases (2025) · Data last updated July 2026 — FloridaCourtFile.com