A Colorado veterinarian who works for the U.S. government has been ordered to appear in a Cochise County courtroom next month for arraignment on charges related to online activities in which he allegedly tried to arrange to have sex with someone he thought was 14 years old.
Dr. Scott D. Bormanis, DVM, of Colorado Springs was in Arizona earlier this month to handle some family matters when he is alleged to have sent sexually explicit messages over several days in an attempt to lure the young girl to meet him.
But Bormanis, 54, was actually communicating with special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Court records show he was arrested May 10 after driving to Sierra Vista, where he is alleged to have planned to rent a hotel room so he and the girl could have sexual intercourse. His cell phone was seized as evidence.
Bormanis was booked into the Cochise County jail on suspicion of attempted sexual conduct with a minor as well as luring and aggravated luring of a minor for sexual exploitation. All three felonies carry enhanced sentencing guidelines as dangerous crimes against children.
Public records show Bormanis is a decorated U.S. Army veteran who previously served as Command Veterinarian for NORAD and US NORTHCOM at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado. He currently works for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety & Inspection Service as a supervising public health veterinarian.
An HSI spokesperson said special agents assigned to HSI – Douglas Office first had online contact with Bormanis on May 2.
“This was part of an operation involving HSI southern border offices – this case in particular was led by HSI Douglas, along with Sierra Vista Police Department, Cochise County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division,” spokeswoman Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe explained. “The focus of this
operation was to identify and arrest subjects looking to sexually exploit children in and around southern Arizona. “
Upon his arrest, Bormanis was initially held without bail due to the serious nature of the charges and the fact he lives out of state. But at a May 12 bail review hearing, Judge Timothy Dickerson was advised that the Cochise County Attorney’s Office did not believe a no-bail order was necessary.
Dickerson then issued a new bail order allowing for Bormanis’ release upon posting of a $50,000 secured appearance bond. The judge also determined Bormanis’ financial circumstances are sufficient to hire an attorney instead of having one appointed for him by the court.
Bormanis was released from jail May 15 after the bond was posted. The terms of his release prohibit any access to the internet except when at his job with the USDA and he is barred from contact with anyone under 18 except his own children.
On May 18, a Cochise County grand jury formally indicted Bormanis on the same three felonies. A summons was then issued requiring his presence in court on June 12 for arraignment.