Fraud in Union County, Florida

Fraud cases in Union County result in conviction at notably high rates: 65 percent of defendants are found guilty, while 35 percent receive adjudication withheld—a Florida outcome where guilt is found but no formal conviction is recorded. Together, these outcomes mean no fraud cases are dismissed in Union County, a sharp contrast to the statewide dismissal rate of 2.3 percent. The withheld rate in Union County exceeds the statewide average of 19.7 percent, suggesting judges here favor that middle-ground resolution. No cases were diverted through pre-trial programs, compared to a 7.1 percent statewide diversion rate, indicating limited alternative pathways to avoiding adjudication in this county.

Sentencing outcomes show considerable variation: median sentence length is 423 days, but the average climbs to 575 days due to longer sentences in some cases. Probation averages nearly 949 days. Confinement is modest—15 percent receive prison time and 15 percent jail time—with most defendants serving probation instead. Legal representation skews toward public defenders, who handled 30 percent of cases, while only 5 percent of defendants hired private counsel, suggesting economic constraints among the charged population in this rural county.