FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2003
JACK DOWELL FOUND GUILTY OF 1997 ARSON OF COLORADO SPRINGS INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE OFFICE
DENVER – John W. Suthers, United States Attorney for the District of Colorado, Terry Peacock, Special Agent In Charge of the Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General for Tax Administration, Rich Marianos, Resident Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, and Phillip B.J. Reid, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Rocky Mountain Division today announced that JACK DOWELL, age 51, of Pensacola, Florida, was found guilty following a four day jury trial before Judge Richard P. Matsch in U.S. District Court in Denver. JACK DOWELL, along with JAMES FLOYD CLEAVER, age 48, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and THOMAS DOWELL, age 52, of Dallas, Texas were charged with starting the arson fire that destroyed the Internal Revenue Service office in Colorado Springs on May 3, 1997. The jury deliberated for approximately 2 hours. JACK DOWELL will be sentenced on June 20, 2003. The monetary loss from the fire was over $2.5 million.
On October 31, 2001, a federal grand jury in Denver returned a sealed indictment charging the three with the destruction of government property and forcible interference with Internal Revenue Service employees and administration. CLEAVER was also charged with subornation of perjury and witness tampering.
According to the indictment, CLEAVER, THOMAS DOWELL, and JACK DOWELL maliciously started a fire which damaged a building occupied by the Internal Revenue Service, located at 2020 North Academy Boulevard in Colorado Springs. The fire totally destroyed theoffice, including tax payer files and records as well as government equipment. The jury found that the firemen faced substantial risk of injury while fighting the fire. The arson also impeded IRS employees from doing their jobs.
CLEAVER is also accused of suborning perjury by asking a witness to lie to a federal grand jury during testimony given in 1997. Later, CLEAVER threatened that same witness, attempting to prevent him from communicating with law enforcement officers. As a result of the threats, CLEAVER was charged with witness tampering. CLEAVER and THOMAS DOWELL will go on trial June 2, 2003.
John Suthers, United States Attorney, said that he was pleased with the jury’s verdict. Because two other defendants await trial on identical charges, Mr. Suthers declined to comment further.
JACK DOWELL faces 7 to 40 years in federal prison for the destruction of government property by means of fire. He also faces up to three years for interference with IRS employees. If convicted CLEAVER and THOMAS DOWELL face similar penalties. CLEAVER also faces up to 5 years in prison for subordination of perjury and up to 10 years in prison for witness tampering. All three face fines of not more than $250,000 for each count.
The charges against JAMES CLEAVERand THOMAS DOWELL are only allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Mackey.
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