Acting with swift condemnation of fraud in state-funded programs, Arizona's Attorney General Mayes has confirmed that two individuals, Johnny Bowers and Ashley Hewitt, have pleaded guilty to crimes associated with the exploitation of the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program. According to the Attorney General's press release, Bowers gave his plea admitting to Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices and Forgery, while Hewitt, also known under the alias Ashley Hopkins, admitted to Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices.
Revealing the depth of the scheme, living in Colorado while conducting their fraud, the pair was reported to have fabricated documents to illegitimately obtain ESA funding from December 4, 2022, to around May 3, 2024. Having duped the Arizona's ESA program with forged birth certificates and utility bills, the Attorney General's office specified that over 40 children, both real and imaginary, were claimed to receive a staggering sum of $110,258.28.
"Fraud in the ESA program will not be tolerated," Attorney General Mayes asserted in the statement. There was a clear message sent to those considering similar deceptions: exploitation of government systems for personal gain will not be met with lenience, but rather with aggressive prosecution to safeguard taxpayer dollars. Continuing on the path to justice, the Attorney General's office will henceforth look to set an example through this case.
Following an indictment in November of 2024, the defendants now face sentencing scheduled on October 24 at 9:30 a.m. Their criminal activities were unearthed by the Attorney General’s Office Special Investigations Section and brought to prosecution by the Fraud and Special Prosecutions Section. Punishment for their actions remains to be decided before the Maricopa County Superior Court.
