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Lacy Clay Is Likely Public Official No. 1 in St. Louis Bribery Scandal, P-D Reports | St. Louis Metro News | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

February 3, 2023

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click to enlarge Lacy Clay and Brandon Bosley may also have been involved in the bribery scandal that took down three St. Louis aldermen.

The scandal that rocked St. Louis last year, bringing down three members of the Board of Aldermen, may have ensnared two more civic leaders. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, using details in a newly released search warrant, says that former U.S. Representative Lacy Clay (D-St. Louis) and Alderman Brandon Bosley also played roles in the bribery scandal that sent former Board of Alderman President Lewis Reed and former aldermen Jeffrey Boyd and John Collins-Muhammad to prison for taking bribes from a local businessman.One person who met with the unnamed businessman (later revealed to be Mohammed Almuttan) has been identified only as Public Official Number One. The meeting in June 2020 was to discuss sending government contracts Almuttan’s way. Collins-Muhammad arranged the meeting and Public Official No. 1 left the meeting with a $10,000 bribe for his assistance that was later returned.The Post-Dispatch now says that clues in a recently unsealed search warrant reveal that Public Official Number One could be Clay, 66. The former congressman-turned-lobbyist served in that role for 20 years and is the son of the late U.S. Representative William Clay Sr., a civil rights legend who parlayed protests into a long career in Washington.Clay denies any involvement with Almuttan or the bribery scandal. His name does not appear in the search warrant or any other material related to the FBI investigation.But the Post-Dispatch builds a compelling circumstantial case, pointing out that Clay was in St. Louis for the June 18, 2020, meeting, according to his own Facebook.Clay also has a long-running relationship with Collins-Muhammad, who sponsored a resolution honoring Clay after Cori Bush defeated him in 2020. Clay also donated $500 to Collins-Muhammad’s reelection campaign.Other details about Public Official Number One indicate that the official was connected to a city project that also involved the federal government. The Post points out that Clay was a key player in locating the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in his district.In court filings, federal prosecutors allege Public Official Number One left his meeting with Almuttan with $10,000 in cash in an envelope, but later returned it.During the meeting between Almuttan, Collins-Muhammad and Public Official Number One, the public official mentions that public places have “cameras and shit.” After returning with the cash, the official asks instead for two checks for $5,000 each, made out to a political action committee. Those checks were never cashed.But Almuttan and Collins-Muhammad dropped off the checks in person, which gave further clues, according to the Post-Dispatch. Identifying information seemed to point to the checks being left with Darryl Piggee, Clay’s former chief of staff and treasurer of Clay’s PAC.The Post-Dispatch reached Piggee for comment, and he seemed to defend Public Official No. 1: “Whoever the guy was, I don’t know if he’s ever been in trouble for anything like that.”The Post-Dispatch also shared evidence indicating that Alderman Brandon Bosley, 35, might have been involved in the bribery scandal, linking him to the unnamed politician who asked Almuttan for $2,000 in order to write a letter supporting a tax abatement. The money was allegedly given to an assistant.Bosley also denies accepting cash from Almuttan. “I never took nothing from him, never had any hand-to-hand exchange, nor hand-to hand-with assistants of mine,” Bosley told the Post-Dispatch. “Period, point blank. That’s a flat-out lie.”The Post-Dispatch reports that Bosley wrote a letter supporting the tax abatement for Almuttan within five days of the initial meeting.Bosley is having a rough week. Yesterday, KSDK reported that police believe he should be charged with filing a false report. In December, Bosley recorded himself on Facebook Live saying that a woman attempted to carjack him. He got out of his car with his gun and pointed it in the woman’s face while asking if she needed help. The woman was lying on the ground in subzero temperatures, and Bosley said she had been hit by another car.According to KSDK, surveillance footage shows a dark SUV hitting the woman and the SUV was identified as belonging to Bosley. Police initially arrested the woman for carjacking, but released her a week later. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has said there is not enough evidence to press charges against Bosley, KSDK reports.Coming soon: Riverfront Times Daily newsletter. We’ll send you a handful of interesting St. Louis stories every morning. Subscribe now to not miss a thing.Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

8 months 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

8 months 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

8 months 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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