Fugitive in $3.2 million scam found living in a trailer, Florida deputies say
A fugitive accused of fraudulently obtaining $3.2 million was discretely living in a decades-old trailer when deputies closed in, according to investigators in the Florida Panhandle.
Richard Bailey, 55, was captured Monday, July 14, after three weeks of surveillance in Panama City, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
“When confronted at the residence ... Bailey refused commands to come out peacefully,” the sheriff’s office said. “Authorities were able to get three juveniles, and a woman ... out of the residence before Bailey was taken into custody.”
He is wanted in Georgia, “where he is charged with fraudulently obtaining approximately $3.2 million,” the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators did not release details of Bailey’s connection to the 36-year-old woman and three children.
A search of the rural home on Cedar Bluff Road revealed a gun “and illegal substances,” the sheriff’s office said.
Bailey’s charges for Florida offenses include:
- Sex offender violation for failing to register his address
- Possession of synthetic cannabinoids
- Possession of drug equipment
- Possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon
- Being a fugitive from justice
- Child neglect without great bodily harm
The woman found at the home was also arrested on charges including: child neglect without great bodily harm, harboring or assisting a sex offender and possession of synthetic cannabinoid, officials said.
The children “were turned over to the Department of Children and Families,” the sheriff’s office said.
Panama City is about a 140-mile drive east from Pensacola.
This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 7:42 AM with the headline "Fugitive in $3.2 million scam found living in a trailer, Florida deputies say."