Volusia County, FL - A 47-year-old man that the Volusia County Sheriff's Office says scammed elderly people for home repairs in 2016 won't get the chance to do that again, at least not for a while. Russell Bannister was booked into the Volusia County Jail on August 28, 2019 in connection with those warrants from 2016. His bond is set at $105,000.
Bannister was wanted on charges of exploiting the elderly, organized scheme to defraud and grand theft. His victims were mainly between the ages of 70 and 85. He was also under investigation by the Edgewater and Daytona Beach police departments at that time.
In January 2017, Bannister was arrested while using an alias for a different type of scam in Greenville, SC. Authorities there arrested him on several charges of exploiting a vulnerable adult, burglary and assault/battery on a law enforcement officer. He was accused of posing as a pastor collecting funds for tornado victims.
The other cases that Bannister was wanted for include Daytona Beach with an 84-year-old male victim, another Sheriff’s Office case with an 85-year-old female victim in Ormond Beach, and two cases in Edgewater, one involving a 75-year-old female victim and the other, a 71-year-old female victim. These cases involved Bannister and an accomplice offering to pressure wash or paint the victim’s home for a price – but instead stealing cash and checks and never even starting the work.
Bannister was extradited to Florida after serving his sentence in South Carolina. He's scheduled for arraignment on the charges from 2016 on September 25.
