An Apopka man, who eluded law enforcement agencies for over a year after obtaining hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent COVID-19 relief funds, is heading to federal prison.
On Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced that 57-year-old Emmet Bowens has been sentenced to 63 months behind bars for wire fraud and money laundering. As part of his sentence, he was also ordered to forfeit $739,582, which represents the proceeds of the offenses.
Bowens pleaded guilty to the charges in January 2026.
Court records show that on May 5, 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bowens submitted a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan application. On that paperwork, Bowens claimed to own a business called “Buccaneer Technologies.”
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was a provision of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was enacted to provide immediate assistance to individuals, families, and organizations that were affected by COVID-19. Under the terms of this program, the loans were backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration, and the full principal amount could qualify for forgiveness.
On his PPP loan application, Bowens claimed that his business, “Buccaneer Technologies,” had a total of 102 employees with an average monthly payroll of over $295,000. Bowens also submitted falsified tax records to “support his loan application,” and he filed Articles of Incorporation for his business less than a week after the PPP loan application was filed.
The loan was approved in the amount of $739,582, and these funds were deposited into Bowens’ personal checking account. He then used $615,000 of these funds to create three new accounts, with a portion of the remaining funds being deposited into various accounts.
Bowens proceeded to spend some of the fraudulently obtained funds on a cross-country road trip. During that trip, Bowens and his wife were captured on video surveillance footage withdrawing $44,000 in cash from a bank.
Law enforcement apprehended Bowens, and he was charged before being released on bond. He then cut off his ankle monitor and fled from the area, becoming a federal fugitive and evading capture for one and a half years.
Bowens was eventually located in Mississippi, where he was taken into custody.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance provided by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Small Business Administration.