Monique Bowling, left, leaves Hammond federal court. November 2016 photo

UPDATE: More delays in trial of Monique Bowling

Contributed By:The 411 News

A new trial date has been set for Monique Bowling, charged in the theft of computers from the City of Gary valued at over $1 million.

In the January 12th hearing in Hammond’s federal district court, Magistrate Judge John E Martin set aside the January 29th trial start and rescheduled it to 8:30 a.m., April 23 before Judge Philip P. Simon.

Bowling had failed to appear with her court appointed attorney at a January 4 status conference. At that conference, her attorney, P. Jeffrey Schlesinger of Merrillville told the court he hadn’t been able to contact his client and also needed more time to prepare.

Bowling appeared with Atty. Schlesinger at Friday’s hearing after an order to appear was issued by the court.

Also at Friday’s hearing, Atty. Schlesinger told the court he will be filing a motion for a competency hearing for his client. If the court approves, the competency hearing will set in motion an evaluation of Bowling’s fitness to stand trial and more continuances and delays may be in store. The court set aside the date of January 30 for the potential hearing on competency.

Scott King, Bowling’s first attorney, withdrew from the case in September 2017 citing a conflict of interest. A government witness in the case was also being represented by Atty. King.

Bowling worked as a network administrator in city hall’s IT Department. As an administrator, she ordered equipment from vendors for Gary’s departments and agencies.

According to the indictment, Bowling allegedly stole and obtained by fraud more than one thousand Apple iPads and other computer equipment under the care, custody and control of the City of Gary.

The federal indictment also alleges that Bowling used a deceased person’s state ID card with at least one other person and participated in a scheme to obtain pension checks of a deceased individual.

The counts for identity theft and mail fraud are connected to a person identified in the indictment only as JHT, who lived in Bowling’s home until his death on September 2, 2010.

According to the indictment, beginning in October 2010 and continuing through May 2015, Bowling and at least one other person “obtained JHT’s pension check each month and used JHT’s Indiana identification card to cash checks” and “open a bank account in JHT’s name.”

Bowling was released on a $20,000 bond after her arrest on October 24, 2016.



Monique Bowling, left, leaves Hammond Federal Court. November 2016 photo

Story Posted:12/31/2017