SAN FRANCISCO — A badge turned dirty as San Francisco Sheriff’s Deputy April Myres, 52, was arrested alongside former jail inmate Antoine Fowler, 32, in a sordid scheme involving a stolen service weapon, a phony burglary, and a six-figure fraud spree. Federal agents stormed in on February 2, 2017, ending a 10-month investigation into Myres’ reported home invasion — a hoax that unraveled the moment FBI SWAT pulled over Fowler in Oakland.
Myres allegedly handed over her Sheriff’s Department-issued Glock 17 9mm pistol to Fowler — a convicted felon — then filed a claim with her insurance company stating it, along with body armor, handcuffs, and high-end luxury items like a mink jacket, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Versace handbags, and designer shoes from Manolo Blahnik, Gucci, and Christian Louboutin, were stolen during a March 25, 2016 burglary. The story collapsed when FBI agents, executing a search warrant on February 2, 2017, recovered many of those so-called stolen goods inside Myres’ own San Francisco home.
The firearm? Found stashed under the front driver-side console of Fowler’s car during the traffic stop. The move sealed the fate of both defendants. The amended criminal complaint charges Myres with mail fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341, 1343, and 1349, and illegally disposing of a firearm to a felon under 18 U.S.C. § 922(d). Fowler is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g).
Investigators uncovered a personal link that stinks of betrayal: Myres and Fowler allegedly maintained a romantic relationship while he was incarcerated at the San Francisco Jail — a relationship that continued after his release on January 11, 2016. That connection, federal authorities say, fueled the transfer of a weapon meant to protect the public now sitting in the car of a convicted felon.
The case exploded through the coordinated efforts of the San Francisco Public Corruption Task Force — a joint force including the FBI, San Francisco Police Department Internal Affairs, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Sheriff’s Department Investigative Services Unit. Myres and Fowler were booked on February 2, 2017, and appeared in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler on February 3. Fowler remains in custody, with a hearing set for February 7, 2017, at 9:30 a.m. Myres was released on a $1 million secured bond and is due back in court on February 15, 2017.
Maximum penalties loom heavy: Fowler faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Myres could be sentenced to 20 years per count on the fraud and conspiracy charges, and an additional 10 years for illegally providing a firearm to a felon. Prosecution is being led by the Special Prosecutions and National Security Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. As always, the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Related Federal Cases
- Artful Dodge: Medicare Fraud Case Closed · Pennsylvania
- Tax Fixer Gets 18 Months for $1.2M Fraud Scheme · Alaska
- McKenzie Earley’s $10M Fraud Conviction · California
- Phelan Sentenced for $17.4M Loan Fraud in MD · Maryland
- Tyrone Bradshaw Sentenced for Sex Offender Registration Fraud · Louisiana
Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption|Weapons|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
