Tampa Man Pleads Guilty To Making False Statement To Federal Credit Unions

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that Richard Bowe (40, Tampa) pleaded guilty today to four counts of making false statements to federally insured federal credit unions. Bowe faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on each count. His sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to facts presented at the plea hearing, in early 2015, Bowe applied to several different credit unions in the Tampa Bay area and made false statements in his loan and/or credit applications. On January 23, 2015, he applied for an auto loan of approximately $30,000 from the Florida Central Credit Union. In the loan application, he falsely claimed that he was employed by the U.S. Central Command and made a false representation about the amount of VA retirement benefits that he earned. On February 26, 2015, he applied for another auto loan of approximately $15,000 from the USF Federal Credit Union and again falsely claimed in the loan application that he was a Deputy Inspector General with the Central Command. On March 4, 2015, he visited the USF Federal Credit Union and applied for another auto loan of approximately $47,000 and made false statements in that loan application about being employed at the U.S. Army Contracting Command and about his receipt of monthly VA benefits. He also applied for a credit card and membership at the Tampa Bay Federal Credit Union on February 26, 2015. In that application, he again made false statements about his employment with the U.S. Army Contracting Command and about his VA benefits.

In each case, Bowe also submitted false and fraudulent documents verifying the employment and benefits that he falsely claimed to be receiving on a monthly basis. In reality, he had no such employment with the U.S. Army and received no such VA benefits.

This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department, with assistance from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Defense Criminal Investigative Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.