Former Mass. assistant clerk accused of embezzling bail money for trips, clothes, jewelry

A former Salem District Court assistant clerk magistrate was indicted Tuesday for allegedly embezzling bail funds.

Michelle Bowman, 51, of Danvers was charged for misusing more than $71,000 in bail money and forging a recognizance form to cover up her misuse while working as a bail magistrate and an assistant clerk magistrate in Salem, according to the attorney general’s office.

In May 2024, Bowman forged a recognizance form to make it seem that bail funds were received earlier than they had been after Lawrence District Court staff noticed that $25,000 in bail funds appeared to be missing, prosecutors said.

A subsequent audit conducted by the Trial Court revealed that Bowman had taken eight other bails that had not been turned over to the relevant courts and that she also held other bail funds for longer than permitted, the attorney general’s office said. In one case, Bowman allegedly kept a bail amount of $75,000 for more than six months before paying it to the necessary court.

Upon further review, investigators discovered that Bowman made several withdrawals from her bail bank account for what they believed to be personal use, including $14,449 in American Express payments, $14,021 in payments to her landlord, and $8,508 in cash withdrawals, the attorney general’s office said.

During the time that bail funds went missing, Bowman traveled to Las Vegas, Barbados, and Aruba and spent money on jewelry, designer perfume, high-end clothing, and tickets to events, prosecutors said.

Authorities seized Bowman’s phone as evidence in July 2024, according to court documents.

Bowman pleaded not guilty to four felony counts — fiduciary embezzlement, conduct of public officials and employees, forgery of a document, and utter false writing — in Essex Superior Court on Tuesday, according to court documents.

She also turned over her passport this week, authorities said.

Bowman is set to reappear in court on Dec. 12 for a hearing on compliance, according to court documents.

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