A woman who robbed four stores and attempted to steal a woman’s purse at another was sentenced Friday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Bowman pleaded guilty on Jan. 7, 2022, to four counts of robbery in Indian Country and one count of attempted robbery in Indian Country.
On Oct. 2, 2021, Bowman robbed a Dollar General cashier, stealing $372 from the store’s cash register. She assaulted the victim by spraying him in the eyes and face with bed bug spray and grabbed the cash.
She further pushed a second cashier and stole $262 from the cash register at a CVS Pharmacy on Oct. 8, 2021. She also pushed, fought, grabbed and pulled a third cashier away from the register and stole $36 at another CVS Pharmacy on Oct. 10, 2021, and about eight hours later, fought and struggled with a cashier and store manager to steal cigarettes and cash at a Walgreens Pharmacy.
Finally, on Oct. 18, 2021, Bowman unsuccessfully attempted to steal an elderly woman’s purse at a Tulsa Walgreens. Bowman fled the location when the woman refused to let go of the purse, but she was stopped shortly after the crime by a Tulsa Police Officer. Bowman told the officer that she believed she was “untouchable” because she was a tribal citizen on a reservation.
“Valerie Bowman thought she was ‘untouchable’ when she robbed four stores by assaulting cashiers and attempted to rob an elderly woman,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “She learned she wasn’t. Through federal, state and tribal cooperation, law enforcement officers have been cross commissioned so they can investigate cases involving Native Americans on reservations. Through those critical partnerships, defendants like Bowman are being held accountable for their crimes.”
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The Tulsa Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi prosecuted the case.