A former FBI agent on Monday admitted to stealing more than $136,000 in cash that had been seized during drug investigations, according to authorities.
Scott M. Bowman, 45, once assigned to the FBI's Los Angeles field office, admitted to using the cash to pay for a pair of sports cars and his wife's cosmetic surgery. He also admitted to filing false reports and tampering with a witness in an attempt to cover his wrongdoings.
Bowman's guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Jesus G. Bernal comes two weeks before he was set to go on trial and effectively puts an end to at least one criminal case he worked on as an agent before he lost his job last year. It's unclear what impact, if any, the plea will have on other cases.
Even as Bowman pleaded guilty, his attorney, James W. Spertus, asserted that his client shouldn't be singled out as the only wrongdoer on the anti-gang task force in San Bernardino, Calif., which included personnel from the FBI, San Bernardino police and the San Bernardino County sheriff's office.
"Mr. Bowman accepted full responsibility for his role in the charged offenses," Spertus said in a statement. "We remain hopeful that the Department of Justice will accept cooperation from Mr. Bowman to investigate and root out corruption in San Bernardino, rather than continuing to ignore the problem there."
The anti-gang task force that was referenced in his the plea agreement is what Bowman used to obtain his stolen cash. He admitted to getting the aforementioned $136,000 by pocketing money during three searches carried out in June and August 2014.
The first search at an Azusa hotel room netted him nearly $11,000, while a second search at an apartment believed to be connected to the methamphetamine trade netted him an additional $4,600. However, his largest haul came following a search of a San Bernardino home that was believed to be part of a heroin and cocaine distribution ring that operated in California, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
He spent more than $43,000 on a Dodge Challenger, $27,500 on a Scion FRS and another $26,612 to trick out the purchased vehicles. He also spent $15,000 for his wife's plastic surgery, as well as an additional $700 for tickets to a sporting event, according to the plea agreement.
Following the thefts, Bowman submitted false reports, forged a signature and asked a local police officer assigned to the same task force to lie for him if ever questioned.
