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Man impersonating FBI agent robs Mississippi gym

MADISON, Miss. (WJTV) – A Madison County business falls victim to a sophisticated robbery plot involving a man impersonating an FBI agent.

“Very shocking to me I just didn’t think it was going to happen especially at that hour.”

Starke Fitness Gym owner, Lee Sahler is finding his run-in with a robber hard to believe.

“He goes behind the counter and he is acting like he is with a security company, FBI security or FBI something that is what he tells my front desk that,” Sahler said.

Sahler says this man, wearing an FBI hat, came into his gym and pretended like he had a replacement key for the safe in the back.

“Brings a key out and he says we have a key for your box and we got a new key made for you and we need to try it out,” Sahler said.

And that’s when the man took off with some cash. Sahler believes another man who came in earlier, pretended to be interested in a membership and got names of managers that the man in the FBI hat later used.

“He comes in acts like he works here,” Sahler said.

As sophisticated as this robbery was compared to most, he can’t understand why the man looked straight into the security cameras.

“When you immediately walk in and you got cameras in your face. He saw that and I was thinking to myself how dumb can you be”.

“Nothing surprises me really, but you know it happens,” Sahler said.

The gym owner believes the crook may have had help, based on the information he knew about the facility.

We reached out to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office about this robbery but we have yet to hear back from them.