BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Two suspects, Brandon Maxwell and Bethany Campbell, were arrested in connection to a fraudulent scheme targeting an elderly victim outside Florida. On February 3, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) Criminal Investigation Division began working with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to investigate the scam.
The USPS inspector discovered that the victim, who lived outside of Florida, had mailed several packages to an apartment in Panama City Beach between November 2024 and February 2025. The packages contained various forms of payment, including cash, money orders, and gift cards.
The victim told authorities that she was first contacted by the scammers in November 2024, who told her she had won a sweepstakes. The prize was said to be a vehicle and a large sum of money. To claim her prizes, the victim was instructed to mail payment to the suspects in Panama City Beach. Over the course of several months, she continued to send packages, believing she was following instructions to receive her winnings.
The investigation led to an apartment on Walsoi Way in Panama City Beach, where Maxwell and Campbell were identified as the recipients of the packages. Both suspects were interviewed and confirmed their involvement in the scam. Authorities revealed that Maxwell and Campbell had been in communication with the victim by phone and had been receiving both the mailed packages and the funds.
BCSO has yet to determine the full amount of money lost by the victim. Maxwell and Campbell were charged with Committing an Ongoing Scheme to Defraud and booked into the Bay County Jail. Campbell, a lawful permanent resident, was arrested, while Maxwell, who was in the United States illegally, faces potential deportation after the charges are resolved.
