ST. LOUIS — Former St. Louis Alderman Brandon Bosley has been charged by the federal government with three counts of wire fraud in an insurance fraud scheme.
Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Bosley pleaded not guilty to all charges in federal court on Monday and was released on bail after federal prosecutors and his defense attorney, Paul Sims, agreed that Bosley did not need to be detained.
He is required to submit to random drug tests and not leave the jurisdiction of the Eastern District pending trial. He is also expected to turn over all of his firearms to his lawyer on Monday.
As he left the courthouse, Bosley noted that only one of the reporters present to cover his hearing was black.
He also added: “I think public servants are held to the highest standard, and we have to do our best to be the best we can in any situation to make sure we represent our people in the best way. possible and when we make decisions we need to think about every person around you and how that affects every person who believes in what you do, that being said, those are my comments.”
His attorney said Bosley had no further comment.
The charges stem from Bosley’s purchase of a 2010 Toyota Prius from an FBI informant, who owned a used car business in Jennings, an auto repair garage in Bridgeton and a convenience store in the former Third Ward of Bosley.
The title listed $3,000 as the purchase price, although Bosley only paid the man $500 in cash, according to the indictment. At the time, Carfax listed the retail value of the car at nearly $10,000.
Bosley purchased the car on March 30, 2021, but did not register or title the car until April 5, 2022.
On September 16, 2021, while the Prius was parked outside Bosley’s office in St. Louis, it was hit by another car. According to the indictment, Bosley offered a bribe to the FBI informant to prepare a falsely inflated repair estimate to deliver to Missouri Farm Bureau Insurance, in hopes that the insurer would determine that the car has been totaled and pays Bosley accordingly.
Bosley is the fourth St. Louis city councilman to be indicted by the federal government in the past year. The FBI informant listed in the court documents against Bosley bears several similarities to the informant who shot the other three aldermen. He remains anonymous in court documents, but several sources close to the investigation have identified him as Muhammed Almuttan.
He was convicted of trafficking contraband cigarettes in 2022.
Some of the conversations involving Bosley were caught on a wire. In the indictment, Bosley is quoted as saying, “I’m not 100% sure what the damage is, but of course you’ve seen the car, you know how it drives. If it’s repairable and reasonable , so I’m definitely trying to figure out how to fix it. But if not, (expletive) this car, man. couple thousand bucks, and (expletive) this insurance company.”
He continued: “So what I don’t want is them not letting us down. I know how the (expletive) insurance companies do it, you know. Of course, you know all their activity is to try to maintain as many dollars as they can. (Expletive) this insurance company. I don’t give two (expletive) about them… I don’t mind hitting them with that much that we can… I told them I’m a chosen one…”
In another conversation, included in the indictment, Bosley said:
“These companies are made for capitalism, when I say I despise them, I don’t give a damn (expletive) about any insurance company. I despise them. Because I know what they’re doing Like, I deal with them. I help them, unfortunately, even with the laws that I make, help them create the scenarios that they create. I’m involved in this (expletive)… So, I would be a (expletive) Silly to be sitting here like these people don’t owe us anything…. Let’s see what we can get from these guys Break some shit and keep pushing.
John Doe: “OK, so we’re ready?”
Bosley: “I think we’re ready. So we’re knocking it out, if we can total it, let’s total it.”
Then, on February 11, 2022, Bosley’s bill lifting the liquor license moratorium in the Third Ward passed the Board of Aldermen and became an ordinance on March 3, 2022. This is the same ward where the informant’s convenience store was located.
Then, on April 12, 2022, the Missouri Farm Bureau Insurance Company notified Bosley that a settlement of $7,978.90 for Bosley’s insurance claim on the Toyota Prius was available to him. Bosley got the money and, in a follow-up conversation with the informant, requested and authorized the informant to bid up to $2,000 to the auto auction company where the Prius automobile was held. in order to redeem the Prius, and have the informant make the necessary repairs for Bosley according to the indictment.
St. Louis Mayor’s spokesman Tishaura Jones released a statement Monday responding to the indictment.
“The people of St. Louis must believe that their elected leaders are working for the betterment of our city – not for their own personal gain and self-interest. Mayor Jones is reviewing the indictment and will monitor the case involving the former councilman as he worked his way through the court system,” the statement said.
Board of Aldermen President Megan Green also released a statement reacting to Bosley’s indictment.
“This new council has a shared commitment to becoming a more transparent legislative body, which understands that building trust with residents is an active and ongoing process.
“With these things in mind, the board created and adopted new internal rules that govern how we work. We have established clear legislative goals for each council of council to stay focused on the issues that matter to residents. And we’re making our work more visible by updating the Kennedy Chambers and Courtroom to accommodate hybrid public hearings.
“It’s a start, but I think it’s a good start.”
Bosley took office in April 2017. He comes from a family with long political ties to the St. Louis community.
Her father Freeman Bosley Sr. was the city’s longest-serving councilman in St. Louis, her brother Freeman Bosley Jr. was the first African-American mayor of St. Louis, her sister LaKeySha Bosley is a representative of the State and her mother Lucinda Frazier is a committee woman.
Bosley has been vocal about crime and safety in his neighborhood — which includes the neighborhoods of College Hill, Fairground, Hyde Park, Jeff-Vander-Lou, O’Fallon, Old North St. Louis and St. Louis Place.
In December, Bosley accused a woman of trying to hijack him while he was checking trash cans in her neighborhood following complaints from citizens. He went to Facebook Live after the alleged attack, and the woman can be seen lying in the snow.
She was arrested and charged. She spent a week in prison and missed spending Christmas with her children, according to her family.
She was later released and the charges were dropped after sources familiar with the investigation told 5 On Your Side that police found surveillance video showing Bosley hitting the woman with his car moments before the start of live video on Facebook. Police filed a complaint for filing a false report and assaulting Bosley, but the office of former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner declined to press charges citing a lack of evidence in the case. ‘affair.
Bosley’s sister, State Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, backed Gardner after the Missouri attorney general filed a lawsuit to remove Gardner from office this year, accusing him of neglect of duty.
Years of accusations against victims of crime, defendants and their families came to a head when a 17-year-old girl was beaten by a man who had violated her house arrest without control. hit her with her car and cut off her legs. Gardner claimed his prosecutors asked to revoke the man’s bail, but court transcripts proved they never objected to keeping the suspect under house arrest despite nearly 100 violations.
“You have to prove negligence and the proof is not there,” LaKeySha Bosley told 5 On Your Side’s Mark Maxwell during an episode of The Record. “Circuit attorney Gardner did everything she could given the situation.
“It’s a tragedy what happened to the young woman’s family, but if we’re talking about the process, the process itself is, it’s up to the judges to reject bail or let someone out on bail. or bail… We have to be very aware of pointing blame if we don’t know what the full process is.”
Gardner resigned on May 16.