A former Salem District Court assistant clerk magistrate was indicted Tuesday for allegedly embezzling bail funds.

Michelle Bowman, 51, of Danvers was charged for misusing more than $71,000 in bail money and forging a recognizance form to cover up her misuse while working as a bail magistrate and an assistant clerk magistrate in Salem, according to the attorney general’s office .

In May 2024, Bowman forged a recognizance form to make it seem that bail funds were received earlier than they had been after Lawrence District Court staff noticed that $25,000 in bail funds appeared to be missing, prosecutors said.

A subsequent audit conducted by the Trial Court revealed that Bowman had taken eight other bails that had not been turned over to the relevant courts and that she also held other

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