Oakland Man Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison For Possessing Former San Francisco Deputy Sheriff’s Firearm

SAN FRANCISCO – Antoine Lamar Fowler was sentenced to 30 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett.  The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Richard Seeborg, U.S. District Judge.

Fowler, 34, of Oakland, Calif., pleaded guilty on May 14, 2019, to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1).  On June 26, 2019, a federal jury convicted Fowler’s co-defendant, former Deputy Sheriff April Myres, 55, of San Francisco, Calif., of mail and wire fraud following an eight-day trial.  According to the evidence presented at Myres’ trial, Fowler was arrested while in possession of a firearm issued by the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department (SFSD) to Myres. 

The evidence presented at trial demonstrated Myres and Fowler began a romantic relationship while Fowler was an inmate at the San Francisco County Jail and under Myres’ supervision.  After Fowler was released from custody in January 2016, he moved in with Myres at her San Francisco home.  On March 25, 2016, Myres reported a burglary of her home to the San Francisco Police Department.  As part of her report to the police, she claimed numerous items were stolen, including her SFSD-issued firearm and radio and a number of luxury goods. 

In May 2016, Myres filed an insurance claim under her homeowner’s insurance policy.  Myres asserted in her insurance claim that she was entitled to over $67,000 in reimbursement for all of the items stolen.  The evidence at trial demonstrated that Myres’ insurance claim included numerous false statements.  For example, Myres falsely claimed she owned the SFSD-issued firearm and SFSD-issued radio that she claimed had been stolen; and she provided false details about the purchase prices and locations of the allegedly stolen items to bolster her claim.  Myres also falsely claimed that three luxury items—a Louis Vuitton purse, a pair of Gucci boots, and a fox fur vest—were stolen; however, all three items were located in her house when the FBI conducted a search in February 2017.  The FBI arrested Myres and Fowler on February 2, 2017.  When Fowler was arrested, the FBI found Myres’ SFSD-issued firearm in his possession.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Seeborg ordered Fowler to serve three years of supervised release to begin after his prison term is concluded.

Judge Seeborg ordered Fowler released on a $50,000 bond until he surrenders to begin serving his prison term on or before March 31, 2020.

For her part in the events, Judge Seeborg sentenced Myres on November 19, 2019, to 14 months in prison for committing mail and wire fraud.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Vartain and Nicholas Walsh are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Helen Yee, Kimberly Richardson, Margoth Turcios, Rosario Calderon, Sutton Pierce, and Ian Meader.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.