A federal jury in St. Louis has convicted former city alderman Brandon Bosley on charges of wire fraud and making false statements to the FBI. The verdict was delivered Friday in U.S. District Court, finding Bosley, 38, guilty on three counts of felony wire fraud and one count of lying to federal agents.
The case stems from a September 2021 incident involving Bosley's 2010 Toyota Prius, which was struck by another vehicle while parked. After some initial uncertainty about insurance coverage, the other driver’s insurer informed Bosley in February 2022 that it would pay for the damages.
According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, Bosley then devised a plan to defraud the insurance company by inflating repair costs. He contacted the owner of the auto repair shop where he had purchased his Prius for $500 in March 2021 and requested an inflated repair estimate be submitted to the insurer. During their conversation—captured on audio and video—Bosley said: “Mark that (expletive) all the way up.” In exchange for submitting a false estimate, Bosley offered a bribe to the business owner.
Bosley also discussed potentially buying back the car if it was declared totaled and then paying only for actual repairs estimated at $2,000 to $2,200. This scheme would have allowed him to keep both the car and extra money from insurance payouts.
When the insurance company rejected an initial repair estimate of about $6,800 as too high, Bosley arranged for a second estimate of $4,333 to be sent in. Ultimately, the insurer agreed to total out the vehicle and paid Bosley nearly $8,000.
In March 2023, during an interview with FBI agents conducted with his attorney present, jurors determined that Bosley lied multiple times about his involvement with fraudulent repair estimates. Specifically, he denied seeing or requesting inflated estimates or being aware they were not legitimate.
Jury selection began Tuesday prior to Friday's conviction. Sentencing is set for April 28; each wire fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison while making a false statement could result in up to five years behind bars.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hal Goldsmith and Matthew Martin.
