LOS ANGELES, May 3 (UPI) — A former FBI agent pleaded guilty Monday to stealing more than $136,000 in drug money and spending it on cars and plastic surgery.
Scott M. Bowman, 45, of Moreno Valley, Calif., pleaded guilty to several charges: conversion of property by a federal employee, obstruction of justice, falsification of records and witness tampering.
He is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 15 before U.S. District Judge Jesus G. Bernal of the Central District of California.
Bowman, as a member of a San Bernardino-based task force on gang-related crime, admitted he misappropriated drug proceeds seized during the execution of three search warrants in June and August 2014. The raid on the drug house uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Bowman spent the stolen money on $43,850 to purchase a 2012 Dodge Challenger coupe, $27,500 to buy a 2013 Toyota Scion FR-S coupe and $26,612 to outfit these vehicles with new speakers, rims, tires and other equipment. Bowman also admitted that he used $15,000 of the funds to pay for cosmetic surgery for his wife and for a luxury vacation for himself and his girlfriend.
To conceal his embezzlement, Bowman falsified FBI reports, forged a signature on a receipt and asked a police detective to give false information to officers if asked about the activity. Bowman gave the detective $2,000, the indictment says. Last year, a San Bernardino police spokeswoman said the FBI had found no evidence of wrongdoing by the detective.
“When the FBI became aware of allegations of misconduct by defendant Bowman, FBI management took immediate action by contacting the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General,” said James Struyk, of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “As Mr. Bowman takes responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty, the public should be reminded that FBI personnel are held to the highest standards and misconduct of any kind is taken very seriously.”
To explain his lavish spending, Bowman told colleagues he’d received a $97,000 advance on his inheritance from his sick father, according to the indictment.
