ORLANDO — An Apopka man who stole $739,582 through a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan, then cut off his ankle monitor and fled the state, has been sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for wire fraud and money laundering.
U.S. District Judge Dalton sentenced Emmet Bowens, 57, and entered a forfeiture order for the full $739,582 in fraud proceeds, U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced. Bowens pleaded guilty on Jan. 26, 2026.
Bowens submitted a fraudulent PPP loan application in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming to own a business called Buccaneer Technologies with 102 employees and an average monthly payroll of $295,883. He filed fraudulent tax records to support the application — and incorporated the sham business six days after the loan application was filed. The IP address used to submit the application was registered to Bowens’ residential address and included his Social Security number and a copy of his driver’s license.
The full $739,582 loan was approved and disbursed directly into Bowens’ personal checking account. He then distributed the stolen funds into various accounts, including three new accounts funded with $250,000, $250,000 and $115,000, respectively. Bowens spent a portion of the money on a cross-country road trip, during which he and his wife were captured on bank surveillance withdrawing $44,000 in cash.
After being charged and released on bond, Bowens cut off his ankle monitor and fled. He remained a fugitive for a year and a half before being located and arrested in the Northern District of Mississippi.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Internal Revenue Service — Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel S. Lyons and Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Testerman prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Andrejko handled the forfeiture.
The Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division on April 7. “The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars,” the department stated. The division supports “President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.”