Two Florida residents were arrested early Tuesday in Giles County after a phone scam persuaded a resident to withdraw $10,000 and leave it in a mailbox south of Pearisburg, the sheriff's office said. Rakeem Hughey-Collier, 20, of Miami, and Pursell Shelton Bauer, 24, of Jacksonville, are being held without bond.
The complaint came Monday afternoon. A caller claiming to be with Woodforest Bank asked the resident to help investigate a bank employee, then told the person to take $10,000 out, seal it in an envelope and leave it in the home mailbox for an FBI agent to collect. About 1:30 a.m. Tuesday the resident called deputies to report people at the mailbox, and the caller then demanded the resident come outside, warning that agents would enter the home. A car sat on the street with its high beams on.
Deputies and Pearisburg police took the pair into custody nearby. Hughey-Collier faces felony attempt to obtain money by false pretenses and felony conspiracy; Bauer faces felony conspiracy. Both are presumed innocent unless convicted. The sheriff's office reminded residents the FBI does not ask people to take part in undercover investigations, and no legitimate organization asks a customer to pull large sums from an account.
STARNEWS.PLUS
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Source note: Star News TV · Nov 10, 2026 10:36 PM.
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