Former Salem Court Clerk Indicted for Embezzling $71K Bail Funds

Michelle Bowman, 51, a former assistant clerk magistrate at Salem District Court, was indicted by an Essex County grand jury on charges including fiduciary embezzlement, unwarranted privilege, forgery and uttering for allegedly misusing more than $71,000 in bail funds. The missing funds first came to light in May 2024 when Lawrence District Court staff could not locate a $25,000 bail, and a Trial Court audit later found eight bails totaling about $71,000 that Bowman allegedly never turned over. Prosecutors say Bowman forged a recognizance form and altered dates to conceal the theft and at times held bail funds longer than rules allow, including one instance of keeping $75,000 for over six months. A review of her bail account allegedly showed personal withdrawals and payments—about $14,449 to American Express, $14,021 to her landlord, and roughly $8,500 in cash withdrawals—and investigators link the spending to trips to Las Vegas, Barbados and Aruba and purchases such as jewelry and designer goods; court filings also note extensive credit-card debt. Bowman pleaded not guilty at her Essex Superior Court arraignment, was released on personal recognizance, ordered to surrender her passport and is due back in court, and state payroll records show her 2023 base pay was $134,389.