Paul B. Bowker, 60, a British national and former chief financial officer, pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing $3.6 million in employee tax withholdings and embezzling $130,000 from his Oklahoma-based employer. The charges stem from a years-long scheme that gutted company accounts and defrauded the IRS, all while Bowker held one of the most trusted positions in the corporation.
Bowker was responsible for withholding income and FICA taxes from employee paychecks and submitting them to the IRS. Instead, from April 2014 through January 2016, he willfully failed to file quarterly employment tax returns and left nearly $3.6 million in federal obligations unpaid. Despite the theft, investigators confirmed Bowker did not personally take the tax funds—though the IRS ultimately recovered the money, the breach of duty left employees exposed and the business in financial disarray.
Simultaneously, Bowker abused his authority as CFO to siphon $130,000 through the company’s Visa credit card. Between January 2014 and December 2015, he made personal purchases at drug stores, furniture outlets, gas stations, liquor stores, and online retailers. He bypassed internal controls by authorizing electronic transfers over the phone from the company’s Mabrey Bank checking account in Bixby, Oklahoma, sidestepping the required two-signature rule for company expenditures.
After being indicted, Bowker vanished from the U.S. in 2020. For three years, he remained a fugitive until a tip led U.K. authorities to his location. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with British law enforcement to secure his arrest and extradition back to the Northern District of Oklahoma for prosecution.
He now faces sentencing after pleading guilty to one count of failure to account for and pay over withholding and FICA taxes, and one count of bank fraud. A federal judge will determine his penalty at a later date. The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI, underscoring the severity of financial crimes that exploit corporate trust.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard M. Cella and recently retired Charles M. McLoughlin handled the prosecution. The case serves as a stark reminder: even those in corner offices aren’t above the law when they turn payroll into personal piggy banks.
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Key Facts
- State: Oklahoma
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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