North Carolina Woman Indicted for Making False Statements

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Greensboro, North Carolina, woman on two counts of False Statement.

Erin Lynn Hower, M.D., age 38, was indicted in January of 2023. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollman on February 24, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to five years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

In July of 2020, at Pine Ridge, South Dakota, Hower knowingly made false statements in an employment application she submitted to Indian Health Services.

The charge is merely an accusation and Hower is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson is prosecuting the case. 

Hower was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has been scheduled for May 2, 2023.