Former FBI agent convicted of stealing drug money

A former FBI Special Agent was sentenced to three years in prison for stealing more than $136,000 worth of drug money. This Moreno Valley native did not just take money but was also convicted of tampering with a witness and falsifying documents. 

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Scott M. Bowman pleaded guilty to a count of witness tampering, a count of record falsification, and a count of obstruction of justice. Aside from serving three years in prison, he is also required to pay a total of $136,462 in restitution.

Bowman served at the FBI for 18 years. He was involved in a lot of successful operations, before going corrupt. According to Department of Justice officials, Bowman dishonestly took drug money that was seized in an operation in June and August of 2014. The funds and other documents were transferred to his custody. Bowman admittedly spent the money for his personal enjoyment. He bought cars, opened a checking account amounting to $10,000, and even paid for his wife’s cosmetic surgery with the drug money. 

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Bowman was also found falsifying official FBI reports, submitting a deposit receipt with a forged signature that understates that the drug money was seized.

 Adam Quirk is a seasoned private investigator. He previously worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Quirk has handled cases involving robbery, drug diversion, and violent crimes. Learn more about his professional work by visiting this LinkedIn page.

The Importance Of Background Screening Prior To Recruitment

Whether in a small or a large company, success lies in the reliability of the workforce. Recruitment, therefore, is a sensitive part of company operations.

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Many companies employ exhaustive means, apart from examinations and interviews, to evaluate the competence and character of applicants. The pre-hiring background screening has then become a growingly popular adjunct measure. This extra caution assumes that a candidate who looks good on paper might have more dimensions to his or her character. This step is meant to eliminate negligent hiring altogether while ensuring that the company welcomes only those with unimpeachable backgrounds and proven past performance.

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In highly competitive industries where only the fittest and the brightest are given an opportunity, some applicants, out of desperation, end up misrepresenting themselves. To assess the honesty of their potential recruits, the human resources department can hire a private investigator to perform background checks.

Though there are still some companies that find this step extraneous, costly, and intrusive, those that include this step in pre-hiring have discovered that the process has spared them from mismatched hires who eventually became liabilities. Responsible recruitment is a must to preserve a company’s integrity.

Award-winning criminal justice professional Adam Quirk has 15 years of experience in investigations, regulatory compliance, team leadership and supervision, program initiation, and development. Find out more about his company, Stealth Advise, on this page.

adam.quirk.usa@gmail.com

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Books and films about detectives have exposed people to preconceived notions about private investigators (PIs). The following are some of these widespread misconceptions:

Every day is filled with action: Although a PI's job can get thrilling now and then, there are also times when work can get monotonous. There are days when detectives spend hours in their cars waiting for just a single evidence.

They work solo: In most films, PIs are depicted as a solo worker. On the contrary, statistics from the Bureau of Labor show that only 1 in 5 PIs is self-employed; most work for a company or agency.

The Sherlock Holmes hat and coat: Dressing like Sherlock to appear stealthy may not really be the best disguise. Investigators usually wear clothes that help them blend well with their surroundings that they are monitoring.

They record and listen in on phone conversations: In most states, it is actually illegal to wiretap calls without the legal consent of parties involved. Some states, however, allow the recording of a conversation as long as one party is in agreement.

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PIs can access protected information: Most detective films have scenes where the PI enters an office secretly to look for a document in a filing cabinet while holding a flashlight. In reality, it is illegal for PIs to obtain documents protected by federal law. Moreover, they are not allowed to enter or break into a house or a building without the consent of the owner.

An award-winning criminal justice professional, Adam Quirk has worked for the US Investigations Services, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is currently working as a private investigator in his own company, Stealth Advise, LLC. For more articles on private investigation, subscribe to this blog.