James Bowie, a former lawyer, was sentenced to four years in prison on Tuesday for extortion, criminal harassment, and making threats against a former client. Bowie, 43, showed no emotion as the sentence was handed down by Ontario Court Justice Paul Cooper.

In March, Bowie was found guilty of criminal harassment and extorting a friend. He pressured her to acquire a gun to "take care" of his former client, Leanne Aubin. Although he was acquitted of one count of extortion related to Aubin, he was convicted of uttering threats to kill her.

Justice Cooper described Bowie as a once-prominent defense attorney in Ottawa. He had gained public attention by providing live updates on social media during the 2022 convoy demonstration trials. "Mr. Bowie’s fall from grace was at his own hands," Cooper stated during the sentencing.

Aubin testified that she sought Bowie’s legal assistance during a difficult time in her life when she was facing an assault charge. She described her experience as one of the darkest moments she had ever faced. In her victim impact statement, she accused Bowie of "weaponizing" his position as a lawyer, attempting to exchange legal services for sexual favors. "Mr. Bowie used his status, his experience and my desperation to try to turn me into something I never was: an object he could manipulate and abuse for his own gratification," she said.

Following Aubin's complaint to the Law Society of Ontario, which led to an investigation and Bowie's suspension from practicing law, the court heard that he became "unhinged." He then sought help from a friend to obtain a gun, tracked her movements with a GPS device, and confronted her in a grocery store parking lot.

Justice Cooper emphasized the severity of Bowie's actions, stating, "Mr. Bowie is to be sentenced for his conduct, for his acts of extortion against a once-close friend." He noted that Bowie attempted to tighten his control over his friend by tracking her movements and making credible threats against Aubin.

Cooper warned that Bowie's criminal behavior could have escalated further, saying, "This could have been a homicide but for the courage of each of the two incredible individuals who were sadly victimized here by Mr. Bowie." The identities of Bowie's former friend and Aubin were protected by court-ordered publication bans, although Aubin later requested to lift hers.