Hampton councilman says he was extorted out of $5,000 after visit to prostitute

HAMPTON — A Hampton City Councilman’s visit to a prostitute early last year led to him being extorted out of $5,000, according to court documents filed against the man accused of swindling him.

In January 2022, Councilman Christopher “Chris” Bowman, paid a woman $200 for oral sex at a Newport News hotel room, a criminal complaint said. But when he returned to his car after the encounter, he found several items were missing — including his personal cell phone.

A man called Bowman a week later saying he had his phone, and demanding “increasing amounts of money” for its return, according to the complaint. They finally met outside a Hampton hospital on March 22, 2022. But when Bowman handed over an envelope containing $5,000 in cash, the man fled with the money without giving him the phone.

Michael Eugene Brown II, 33, of Hampton, was arrested more than a year later — on June 17 — on a felony extortion charge. He’s accused of threatening to injure Bowman’s “character, person or property,” and faces up to 10 years behind bars. The case is pending in Hampton General District Court, with a court date set for Oct. 30.

Bowman — first elected in 2020 to a four-year term on the Hampton City Council -— said he believes the prostitute and Brown were “co-conspirators” in swindling him. He did not know if the extortion was random or whether he was targeted because he is a council member.

The councilman said he was “somewhat shocked” to get a call from a reporter asking about the case and he’s ashamed to have the information come out now.

“Obviously, I’m embarrassed,” Bowman said when reached Thursday. “It was poor judgment.”

Bowman, 69, said he didn’t think he was named in the court documents filed in Brown’s case.

“I thought it was resolved, being extorted,” he said. “I thought the situation was over and resolved.”

Though Bowman is identified only as “C.B.” throughout the May 2023 criminal complaint, his date of birth in 1953 is listed. Moreover, the related arrest warrant against Brown names the extortion victim as “Christopher Bowman.” (It’s typical for victims to be named on such warrants since defendants have the right to confront their accusers).

Bowman’s attorney, Carter Phillips, released a statement to the Daily Press and Virginian-Pilot, saying Bowman “apologizes to the citizens of Hampton for this one-time lapse in judgement.”

“He’s very remorseful about this incident,” Phillips said. “It is something that happened a year ago, if not longer. Nothing like this has happened since, and nothing like it will ever happen again.”

Bowman was not charged with any crime.

Newport News police spokesperson Kelly King said there was an investigation into the prostitution case at the time, “but there was not enough evidence for charges” against the councilman.

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Escalating demands

The criminal investigation began April 1, 2022, when Bowman went to the Hampton Police Division to report the extortion. That was 10 days after the man made off with his $5,000.

Bowman told a detective he met the prostitute on a website, SkipTheGames.com — which offers “escorts” in various cities. He and the woman met in January 2022 in a room at the Hampton Inn, off Victory Boulevard near Kiln Creek in Newport News, the criminal complaint said.

Bowman said this week that he wasn’t sure how his phone was taken as his car didn’t appear broken into and he believed he had locked the doors.

After the theft, a man Bowman didn’t know began calling and texting him, saying he had found his phone. Bowman “began engaging with the subject for the return of his phone in exchange for a reward,” said the complaint, filed by Hampton Police Detective Steven L. Cooke.

But the demands “escalated,” with the man wanting “increasing amounts of money” for the phone’s return. If Bowman didn’t pay up, the complaint said, the man threatened to divulge the phone’s contents, which the councilman “felt would cause harm to his character and reputation,” according to the complaint.

Bowman said Thursday he had personal information on his unlocked phone that made him willing to pay to get it back.

“It was a personal phone that had personal conversations that obviously I didn’t want to get out, like anyone has on a private phone,” Bowman said. He said there were no pictures on the phone that he was concerned about.

The men arranged to meet at the Hampton Sentara CarePlex in the city’s Coliseum area, with the understanding Bowman would pay $5,000 to get his phone back.

But after Bowman handed the man an envelope filled with cash, the man told the council member “that he did not have his mobile phone,” the complaint said. The man then left with the money, got into a black older model Chevrolet Caprice Classic and drove off.

The sedan, with South Dakota plates, “was followed” out of the parking lot, ending up at a BayPort Credit Union off Oyster Point Road in Newport News, the complaint said. A Hampton detective was able to watch the surveillance footage from the credit union. The footage, the complaint said, led to Brown being identified as the extortion suspect, though it’s unclear how police made that determination.

Hampton police spokesperson Sgt. Ashley Jenrette did not immediately provide a response Friday on why it took more than a year for detectives to charge and arrest Brown. But she said police also have an arrest warrant out for a 24-year-old Hampton woman, Jasmiah Scarlett, on one count of extortion in the case.

Brown’s attorney, Hampton Chief Deputy Public Defender Dave Anderson, declined to comment on the case. The Suffolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case as a special prosecutor, he said. The attorney handling the case, Suffolk Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Sean Mitchell, declined to comment.

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The aftermath

Bowman told the Daily Press he was unaware that soliciting a prostitute was a Class 1 Misdemeanor in Virginia — punishable by up to a year in jail — when he agreed to meet with a prostitute at the hotel. But Bowman said the woman had reached out to him. “She solicited me,” he said.

Misdemeanors carry a one-year statute of limitations in Virginia, so the deadline for charging Bowman passed in January.

Since the police got involved, Bowman has gotten his phone back but not the $5,000.

The councilman, whose city salary is $23,000 for the post, worked in state government for 32 years before retirement, mostly in the mental health field. He’s a former director of operations at Eastern State Hospital, held director level positions at Virginia Peninsula Community College and has served on numerous community boards and commissions.

According to the city’s website, Bowman is a licensed nursing home administrator and has held a past certification as a court appointed mediator.

The councilman said his family knows about the situation. “They are very concerned about the impact on my political career and personal career,” Bowman said.

Phillips is now handling Bowman’s divorce case, but it’s a no-fault divorce “that has nothing to do with this situation,” the attorney said. “He’s an excellent councilman and a great human being,” Phillips said.

As of Thursday, Bowman said he had not told his six colleagues on the City Council or City Manager Mary Bunting about the situation.

“I considered it a personal matter,” he said.

Bunting, who was on vacation Friday, could not be reached for comment.

Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck declined to comment on whether he had any knowledge of the situation or if he had any concerns that could cause the council to take any board action against Bowman.

Peter Dujardin, 757-247-4749, pdujardin@dailypress.com

Josh Janney, joshua.janney@virginiamedia.com.