Notice to Victims: If you purchased vehicles but did not receive a refund, we need the documentation relating to your purchases to complete our victim database.
Read This Notice
We have just mailed out letters to victims for whom we did not have documentation relating to vehicle purchases. If you receive such a letter but have already submitted your documentation, you do not need to do anything further. If there are any questions about what you should do, please contact us by e-mail at estate.cars@usdoj.gov or leaving a telephone message at (800) 733-6558, extension 4231.

‘Miracle Cars' scheme targeted
churches, religious groups

This site was designed by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Western District of Missouri to provide information relating to the case involving the sale of estate cars, or miracle cars, from the John Bowers estate. An indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., alleges that James Nichols, Gwendolyn Baker, Robert Gomez and Corinne Conway participated in a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud hundreds of buyers from across the nation. A criminal trial for all four defendants is scheduled to begin May 19, 2003.

If you have information about this case, or believe you are a victim, please contact us immediately using the on-line form on this site. To fill out the form, select "On-line Form" from the menu at left or click here.

To read recent news releases issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Western District of Missouri, select "News" from the menu at left or click here.

To read the federal grand jury indictment against defendants James Nichols, Robert Gomez, Gwendolyn Baker and Corinne Conway, select "Grand Jury Indictment" from the menu at left or click here.

To contact our office about this case, select "Contact Us" from the menu at left or click here.

Notice to Victims: If you purchased vehicles but did not receive a refund, we need the documentation relating to your purchases to complete our victim database. We are sending out a form letter to victims for whom we do not have documentation. Click here to download and print a copy of that letter in .pdf format (which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader - follow the link below to download the free software program). It is very important for all victims to respond to this letter and submit documentation as soon as possible. The Probation Office is still preparing presentence reports for all four defendants. No sentencing date has been set by the Court for any of the defendants. Notices will be posted on this website when any sentencings have been scheduled.

Click on this image to download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, in order to access the letter to victims and additional material on this site.

Latest Update

December 11, 2003
Defendant Robert Gomez was sentenced to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole and restitution.

December 3, 2003
Defendant James Nichols was sentenced to 24 years and four months in federal prison without parole and restitution.

November 24, 2003
The sentencing hearing for defendant James Nichols has been continued to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2003.

November 5, 2003
The sentencing hearing for defendant Robert Gomez has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, 2003.

October 29, 2003
The sentencing hearing for defendant James Nichols has been continued to 3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, 2003.

October 23, 2003
Defendant Corinne M. Conway was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison without parole and restitution.

October 22, 2003
Defendant Gwendolyn Baker was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole and restitution.

October 10, 2003
The sentencing hearing for defendant James Nichols has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2003.

October 2 , 2003
A hearing on the United States' motion to forfeit certain property of Robert Gomez, including approximately $818,000 in gambling chips seized from Gomez at the time of his arrest and $150,000 in attorney fees paid to Gomez' attorney, has been set for Nov. 5, 2003 at 2 p.m. in Courtroom 7A.

October 1 , 2003
A sentencing hearing for defendant Gwendolyn Baker has been scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2003, at 3:30 p.m. in Courtroom 7A. A sentencing hearing for defendant Corinne Conway has been scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 23, 2003, at 9:30 a.m. in Courtroom 7A. No sentencing dates have been set for James Nichols or Robert Gomez.

June 6, 2003
A federal trial jury returned its verdicts, finding Defendants James Nichols and Robert Gomez guilty on all counts of the indictment. A sentencing hearing, which will also deal with matters related to restitution, has not yet been scheduled

May 19, 2003
Trial begins for Defendants James Nichols and Robert Gomez.

May 15, 2003
Defendant Gwendolyn Baker pleaded guilty to her role in the Miracle Cars scheme.

May 2, 2003
Defendant Corinne Conway pleaded guilty to felony tax evasion in connection with nearly $1 million she earned in the Miracle Cars scheme.

Feb. 19-20, 2003
The court heard evidence on the Government's motion to revoke supervised release of Robert Gomez for engaging in gambling activities as prohibited in the court's release order. Gomez had been under the supervision of the pretrial services office in Los Angeles. The evidence at the hearing showed that Gomez contacted a professional poker player in January 2003 to see if Gomez could "back" her (that is, support her financially and share in any winnings) in a million dollar poker cruise in the Caribbean. Gomez had also requested permission to go on a cruise without specifying that it was a poker cruise. At the end of the hearing, the court found that the defendant had violated conditions of release and ordered that he live in Kansas City and be under the supervision of the pretrial services office here. The court will permit Gomez to get his own apartment or live in a federal halfway house. Gomez is required to move by March 3, 2003. The court also added conditions of his release: (1) that he not engage in any financial transactions over $1000 without obtaining the prior approval of pretrial services, (2) that he provide copies of records of any income to pretrial services, and (3) that he inform pretrial services in writing of all attempts to obtain employment.

Feb. 19, 2003
The court held a hearing on pretrial motions filed by the defendants. The primary motion was a motion to suppress statements by Robert Gomez to Special Agent Elijah Zuniga of the California Department of Justice and Special Agent Gary Marshall of the IRS, in which Gomez admitted that he knew the car sale scheme was fraudulent. The court heard evidence on the motion but did not rule on it.

Nov. 26, 2002
Defendant Robert Gomez was released on a $100,000 25 % ($25,000 cash) bond set by Magistrate Judge Sarah Hays. The release was pursuant to an order of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals that the pretrial detention order previously entered was improper. Immediately thereafter, Defendant James Nichols was released on a $100,000 10% ($10,000 cash) bond set by Judge Hays. The judge imposed numerous conditions of release including electronic monitoring, prohibitions on gambling and entering gambling establishments, and requiring notice to Pretrial Services of bank accounts and other financial transactions.

Oct. 28 , 2002
A criminal jury trial for all four defendants is scheduled for May 19, 2003.

Sept. 16 , 2002
The next scheduling conference has been moved to Wednesday, October 2, 2002 at 10 a.m.

August 16, 2002
At the scheduling conference before Magistrate Judge Sarah W. Hays, the court inquired about the general nature of the evidence against the defendants and asked the defense attorneys how long it would take to review the reports in the government file. The court set another scheduling conference for Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 2 p.m. The defense attorneys indicated they did not think they would be ready for trial until some time after the first of the year, but no trial date has been set.

August 1, 2002
Defendant James Nichols was transfered from California (where he was arrested) to Kansas City and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah W. Hays. He remains in federal custody.

July 29, 2002
A scheduling hearing on July 29, 2002, was cancelled. The trial for all four defendants is tentatively scheduled for August 19, 2002, but is likely to be rescheduled following an upcoming scheduling hearing.

July 24, 2002
U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Hays denied bond for defendant Robert Gomez, ruling against his motion for revocation of detention order. Gomez will remain in federal custody until his trial.

July 22, 2002
A hearing was held for defendant Robert Gomez, whose attorney filed a motion of revocation of detention order asking the judge to revoke a previous order that held Gomez in federal custody without bond. The government submits that the detention of Gomez is appropriate both as a flight risk and as a danger to the community. U.S. District Judge Nanette K. Laughrey has not yet issued a ruling. Gomez remains in federal custody.

July 18, 2002
Defendants Corinne Conway and Gwendolyn Baker were arraigned today in federal court in Kansas City, Mo. Both entered pleas of not guilty, and both defendants are free on $20,000 signature bonds.

July 8, 2002
Defendant Robert Gomez was arraigned today in federal court in Kansas City, Mo., and entered a plea of not guilty. He is being held in federal custody without bond.

June 20, 2002
Defendant James Nichols is arrested in Los Angeles, Calif. He is being held in federal custody at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center, awaiting transport by the U.S. Marshal's Service to appear in federal court in Kansas City, Mo.