On October 7, 2025, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) dismissed its grand jury indictment against firm client Stephanie Bowers at the US District Court for the District of South Carolina in its entirety, without the need for any cooperation agreement or any other conditions. DOJ’s determination that it had no evidence with which to make a “prosecutable case” underscores the fact that the case lacked merit from inception. Voluntary dismissal by the government is a highly unusual outcome, occurring in far less than 5% of federal criminal cases.

International law firm McDermott Will & Schulte’s white-collar team successfully secured this complete dismissal of allegations of criminal conflict of interest and false statements made in Ms. Bowers’ 2020 and 2021 annual financial disclosure forms. At the time, Ms. Bowers was serving as the Chargé d’Affaires and Chief of Mission of the US Embassy in The Bahamas, the highest-ranking US official.

The McDermott team was led by Todd Harrison, with assistance from Christopher Whalen and Maura Cremin. Steven Hadjilogiou was the relationship partner.

The case is United States v. Stephanie Bowers, No. 24-cr-00473, at the US District Court for the District of South Carolina.

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