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Press Release

Former FBI Agent Pleads Guilty To Obstructing Justice, Falsifying Records, And Possessing Heroin

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA - Matthew Lowry, 33, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, pleaded guilty today, in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, to crimes arising out of his tampering with substantial quantities of drug evidence while working as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”). Lowry pleaded guilty to 20 counts of obstruction of justice, 18 counts of falsification of records, 13 counts of conversion of property, and 13 counts of possession of heroin. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas F. Hogan scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 29, 2015.  Lowry faces at least 87 months in prison under the advisory guideline range calculated by the government.

 

Lowry was assigned to the Washington, D.C. Field Office (“WFO”), and was a member of the Cross-Border Task Force (“CBTF”). He participated in the undercover purchase of heroin and, in lieu of turning the heroin into evidence and documenting its seizure, Lowry ingested the heroin.  He also tampered with heroin evidence seized during several of his investigations.

 

The FBI referred this matter to the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, which initiated the investigation.  Because Lowry’s investigations, as an agent, occurred within the District of Columbia and the districts surrounding it, those offices have been recused by the Department of Justice.  The case was investigated by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation as requested by the OIG. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin R. Brenner and Maureen McCartney.

Updated March 31, 2015

Topic
Public Corruption