Interview with victim of Donna Summerlin
Here is an interview with Bruce Bowman, a deaf man who said in 2010 was scammed out of $9,000 from Donna Summerlin, a deaf woman who last week was found guilty on federal charges of scheming to steal $1.2 million from over 100 people.
Bruce Bowman: My name is Bruce Bowman. I’m from Lakeland, Florida.
Alex: Bruce said he went to high school at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind at the same time as Donna. He didn’t hear from her for 35 years until he was invited to meet up for dinner with a special guest, Donna, who was visiting Florida from Indiana.
They exchanged numbers and Bruce thought he was developing a friendship, but Donna was looking to take advantage of his trust. She asked for a private meeting and told him that he had the opportunity to get a million dollars and a truck if he made some kind of deposit or payment to a man in Oregon.
Bruce Bowman: I asked her what it was for. She said that I would win a million dollars and something like a gift, a new truck. I was like, really? But after a few weeks, I asked why I didn’t get any checks, and why I didn’t get a vehicle. (Donna) said she needed more money. After a week of nothing, I would check in with her again. She then asked for more money. I ended up making several payments.
Alex: Bruce said he trusted Donna because she was intelligent and was a teacher. He felt she was trustworthy.
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Alex: Bruce explained that he would go with Donna to a Walmart to send money via MoneyGram.
Bruce Bowman: I would go with her to Walmart to use Moneygram. The three of us — the two of us would go to the counter and I brought cash. I had to sign my name and address on the form, and (Donna) would put her name on it as well. After I got the check, I gave it to her. She would then ask me to leave the counter to go shopping for a few minutes and then meet her later. My suspicion is that she might have exchanged the money back to cash for personal use. I made several payments for almost two months then I decided to stop. She would bother me with calls but I was quiet and it ended. But a few days ago, I saw a post on Facebook about the federal conviction. I was thrilled. I told my classmates that I knew it. They were shocked. There were a lot of comments. So that is it.
Alex: I asked Bruce if he ever got anything from his investments. He said he never did, but he is doing fine now. Thank you for being willing to share your story.
As I reported yesterday, the Department of Justice said Donna used MoneyGram as one of the methods of collecting money from victims and would send MoneyGram transfers to co-conspirators in Nigeria and Great Britain.