Fraud in Marion County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Marion County, we compared 464 Fraud cases with public defenders against 101 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Private attorneys achieved a 0.4 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

0.6%
PD Dismissal Rate
464 cases
1.0%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
101 cases
+0.4 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
The data shows private attorneys achieve a 0.4 percentage point higher dismissal rate for Fraud in Marion County. Get matched with a local defense attorney — free, no obligation.

Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney Self-Represented
Total Cases 464 101 26
Dismissal Rate 0.6% 1.0% 0.0%
Conviction Rate 93.1% 66.3% 96.2%
Guilty Rate 76.1% 36.6% 65.4%
Adjudication Withheld 17.0% 29.7% 30.8%
Diversion Rate 5.4% 32.7% 3.8%
Avg Sentence 8.0 months 8.8 months 1.2 months
Avg Fine $266.58 $331.72 $80.00
Avg Probation 2.6 years 3.1 years 7.6 months

Important context: Correlation is not causation. Private attorney clients may differ from public defender clients in income, prior criminal history, charge severity, and willingness to go to trial. These factors independently affect outcomes. This data is informational and does not constitute legal advice.

Statewide Comparison

Statewide, the dismissal rate for Fraud is 1.3% with public defenders and 1.1% with private attorneys (-0.2 point difference). Marion County's 0.4 point difference is above the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Marion County 0.6% 1.0% +0.4 pts
Florida (Statewide) 1.3% 1.1% -0.2 pts

Other Charges in Marion County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Traffic Offense 2,583 0.0% 798 0.0%
Drug Possession 2,952 2.2% 199 7.0%
Larceny / Theft 2,243 0.2% 212 0.5%
Battery 1,628 0.4% 272 0.7%
Other 1,079 0.7% 201 2.0%
Trespassing 1,046 0.0% 22 0.0%
DUI 597 0.2% 469 0.0%
Probation Violation 771 0.0% 64 0.0%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Marion County, private attorney clients have a 1.0% dismissal rate for Fraud compared to 0.6% for public defender clients. This is a 0.4 percentage point difference based on 565 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Fraud in Marion County is 93.1% with a public defender and 66.3% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 1.3% for public defenders and 1.1% for private attorneys. Marion County's difference of 0.4 points compares to a statewide difference of -0.2 points.

Conviction includes guilty pleas and adjudication withheld. Data covers 2023–2025 FDLE public court records. Last updated: March 2026

Important: Differences in outcomes between public defenders and private attorneys may reflect differences in case complexity, defendant resources, charge severity, and other factors — not solely attorney quality. These statistics do not predict individual case outcomes.

Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 565 cases analyzed · Marion County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026