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Former Alderman Brandon Bosley Indicted | St. Louis Metro News | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

June 16, 2023

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click to enlarge RYAN GAINES Brandon Bosley is a former alderman for the city.
A scheme to defraud an insurance company over repair costs for a hybrid car is at the center of a federal indictment of former north city alderman Brandon Bosley. Bosley is charged with three counts of wire fraud, acts he is alleged to have committed between February and April 2022, when he was still in office. According to the indictment, Bosley purchased a 2010 Toyota Prius from a used car business in Jennings. The owner of the dealership is identified only as John Doe in court records. Bosley paid $500 for the vehicle. According to Carfax, it was worth almost $10,000 at the time. Bosley drove the vehicle as his personal car. “However, he did not formally register or title the Prius in his name with the State of Missouri Department of Revenue as required by State of Missouri law until on or about April 5, 2022,” the indictment says. On September 16, 2021, the car was parked in front of Bosley’s campaign office when it was struck by another car. Afterwards, Bosley called John Doe and, in a conversation that seems to have been recorded, told Doe, “Well, real talk, I may not even want it fixed. I may just want it where I have something different. I honestly think it’s totaled, and, uh, you know, it drives sideways.” Bosley subsequently offered a bribe to Doe to produce a “falsely inflated repair estimate” which Bosley could then submit to insurance. “You know, mark that motherfucker all the way up, see what it is we can do, I’ll throw you a few thousand dollars, and fuck that insurance company,” Bosley allegedly said. Bosley apparently spoke at length about the alleged scheme, as the indictment also quotes him saying, “Fuck that insurance company. I don’t give two shits about ’em….I’m not bothered by hitting them with as much as we can .. ..I told them I’m an elected official.” Doe then said: “If I want to fix it, will be about $2,000, $2,200, you know? But, now, I can make an estimate you know, so, I can make an estimate for, you know, whatever.” To which Bosley replied: “Bro, I’m gonna say, max that shit out.” According to the indictment, a claim was submitted for approximately $7,000, but the insurance company quibbled with this figure, saying that the labor costs were inflated. Bosley and Doe resubmitted the claim for around $4,300. However, Bosley hit another snag when he was unable to collect the insurance money because he had not registered the car with the state. On April 1, 2022, according to the indictment, Bosley registered the car using a false bill of sale. Bosley then negotiated a higher payment from the insurance company, eventually getting an almost $8,000 payout for the vehicle, which was declared a total loss. Despite the vehicle being totaled on paper, Bosley offered Doe $2,000 to buy it back from the auction company where it was being held. The indictment also says that Bosley and Doe discussed the Board of Aldermen ending a liquor license moratorium in an area of the city where Doe owned a convenience store. Such a bill was “passed out of the Board of Aldermen and ultimately became an Ordinance on March 3, 2022,” the indictment says.UPDATE: At his initial appearance in court this afternoon, Bosley appeared at the defendant’s table wearing handcuffs, a short-sleeve button down and frayed jeans. He pleaded not guilty.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said in court that the prosecution’s evidence includes audio recordings of telephone conversations as well as audio and video of Bosley meeting with John Doe.

Bosley’s defense attorney, Paul Sims, said the federal government had “numerous CDs” of evidence.

Bosley was released on a personal recognizance bond, meaning he did not need to put up any money. However, he will have to remain in the St. Louis metro region and surrender any firearms he possesses within 24 hours.

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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A warrant is out for a Fenton man’s arrest after he allegedly attacked his roommate with a sword.

Police say that on Sunday, Angelus Scott spoke openly about “slicing his roommate’s head” before he grabbed a sword, raised it up and then swung it down at the roommate.

The roommate grabbed Scott’s hand in time to prevent injury. When police arrived at the scene, they found the weapon used in the assault.

The sword in question was a katana, which is a Japanese sword recognizable for its curved blade.

This isn’t the first time a samurai-style sword has been used to violent effect in St. Louis. In 2018, a man hearing voices slaughtered his ex-boyfriend with a samurai sword. His mother said he suffered from schizoaffective disorder.

As for Scott, 35, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was charged yesterday with two felonies, assault first degree and armed criminal action. The warrant for his arrest says he is to be held on $200,000 bond.

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Caught on Video, Sheriff Says He’s Ready to ‘Turn It All Over’ to Deputy

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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Video of St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts taken by a former deputy suggests that the sheriff has a successor in mind to hand the reins of the department over to, even as Betts is in an increasingly heated campaign for reelection.

“I ain’t here for all this rigmarole,” Betts says in the video while seated behind his desk at the Carnahan Courthouse. “The Lord sent me here to turn this department around and I’m doing the best I can and I think I’ve done a good job. I’ve got about eight months and I’m going to qualify for my fourth pension.”

He goes on, “Right now I can walk up out of here and live happily ever after and forget about all this…and live like a king.”

The sheriff then says his wife has been in Atlanta looking at houses and that the other deputy in the room, Donald Hawkins, is someone Betts has been training “to turn it all over to him.”

Asked about the video, Betts tells the RFT, “My future plans are to win reelection on August 6th by a wide margin and to continue my mission as the top elected law enforcement official to make St. Louis safer and stronger. Serving the people of St. Louis with integrity, honor and professional law enforcement qualifications is a sacred responsibility, and I intend to complete that mission.”

The video of Betts was taken by Barbara Chavers, who retired from the sheriff’s office in 2016 after 24 years of service. Chavers now works security at Schnucks at Grand and Gravois. Betts’ brother Howard works security there, too.

Chavers tells the RFT that she was summoned to Betts’ office last week after Betts’ brother made the sheriff aware that she was supporting Montgomery. It was no secret: Chavers had filmed a Facebook live video in which she said she was supporting Betts’ opponent Alfred Montgomery in the election this fall. “Make the judges safe,” she says in the video, standing in front of a large Montgomery sign on Gravois Avenue. “They need a sheriff who is going to make their courtrooms safe.”

In his office, even as Chavers made clear she was filming him, Betts told Chavers he was “flabbergasted” and “stunned” she was supporting Montgomery.

“I don’t know what I did that would make you go against the preacher man,” he says, referring to himself. He then refers to Montgomery as “ungodly.”

Betts goes on to say that not long ago, he was walking in his neighborhood on St. Louis Avenue near 20th Street when suddenly Montgomery pulled up in his car and, according to Betts, shouted, “You motherfucker, you this, you that. You’re taking my signs down.”

Montgomery tells the RFT that he’s never interacted with Betts outside of candidate forums and neighborhood meetings.

“I don’t think anyone with good sense would do something like that to a sitting sheriff,” Montgomery says.

Montgomery has had campaign signs missing and on at least two occasions has obtained video of people tearing them down. (Chavers notes that the sign that she filmed her original Facebook video in front of is itself now missing.)

One man who lives near Columbus Square says that he recently put out two Montgomery signs, which later went missing. “If they keep taking them, I’ll keep putting them up,” he said.

Betts says he has nothing to do with the missing signs. In the video Chavers filmed in Betts’ office, Betts says that his campaign isn’t in a spot where it needs to resort to tearing down opponents’ signs.

“If you sit here long enough, a man is getting ready to come across the street from City Hall bringing me $500, today,” Betts says. “I’m getting that kind of support. I don’t need to tear down signs.”

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St. Louis to Develop First Citywide Transportation Plan in Decades

Published

1 year ago

May 21, 2024

Natural Bridge

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The City of St. Louis is working to develop its first citywide mobility plan in decades, Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office announced Tuesday. This plan seeks to make it easier for everyone — drivers, pedestrians, bikers and public transit users — to safely commute within the city.

The plan will bring together other city projects like the Brickline Greenway, Future64, the MetroLink Green Line, and more, “while establishing new priorities for a safer, more efficient and better-maintained transportation network across the City,” according to the release.

The key elements in the plan will be public engagement, the development of a safety action plan, future infrastructure priorities and transportation network mapping, according to Jones’ office.

The overarching goals are to create a vision for citywide mobility, plan a mixture of short and long-term mobility projects and to develop improved communication tools with the public to receive transportation updates. In recent years, both people who use public transit and cyclists have been outspoken about the difficulties — and dangers — of navigating St. Louis streets, citing both cuts to public transit and traffic violence.

To garner public input and participation for the plan, Jones’ office said there will be community meetings, focus groups and a survey for residents to share their concerns. The city will also be establishing a Community Advisory Committee. Those interested in learning more should check out at tmp-stl.com/

“Everyone deserves to feel safe when getting around St. Louis, whether they’re driving, biking, walking or taking public transit,” Jones said in a news release. “Creating a comprehensive transportation and mobility plan allows us to make intentional and strategic investments so that moving around St. Louis for jobs, education, and entertainment becomes easier, safer and more enjoyable.”

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