Former St. Louis Alderman Brandon Bosley was sentenced on April 23 to 16 months in prison for insurance fraud and making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Bosley will serve three years of supervised release after his prison term and must pay $6,253.90 in restitution to the defrauded insurance company. The case highlights concerns about public officials engaging in fraudulent schemes while holding office.
A jury found Bosley guilty in January on three felony wire fraud charges and one count of making a false statement to federal agents. Evidence presented at trial showed that after his parked car was struck by another vehicle, Bosley orchestrated a plan with an auto repair shop owner to submit inflated repair estimates for personal gain. During recorded conversations, Bosley instructed the business owner: “Mark that (expletive) all the way up.” He also discussed strategies with the owner regarding buying back his car if it was totaled, intending to profit from inflated repair costs.
When interviewed by FBI agents in March 2023, Bosley denied knowledge of fraudulent estimates and claimed they were not inflated—statements jurors determined were false. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith wrote that “this criminal scheme was instigated, planned, designed, and carried out by Defendant once he was advised by the insurance carrier that there was money to be had for repairs.” Goldsmith also said during sentencing: “the public is frustrated and fed up with these ticky-tacky fraud and bribery schemes committed by their elected officials,” adding that “the public deserves some sense of justice here, and only a fair and just punishment will achieve that.”
The government’s sentencing memo referenced findings from December by the Missouri Ethics Commission concluding Bosley failed to report improper campaign expenditures while engaged in this scheme.
Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division said: “A federal jury unanimously agreed the evidence proved Brandon Bosley committed fraud. He initiated the scheme to bilk his auto insurance company. He directed the auto shop owner to inflate the cost to repair his car... In addition, Bosley used his position and made it clear to the insurance company that he is an elected official.”
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri advances community well-being through crime prevention efforts according to its official website. The office operates under the United States Department of Justice as stated on its website and uses both Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse in St. Louis as well as Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. U.S Courthouse in Cape Girardeau as noted online. Serving 49 counties across eastern Missouri according to its website, it investigates federal crimes such as terrorism or fraud while enforcing civil rights laws as detailed online. The office collaborates with law enforcement agencies regionally toward improving quality of life within those counties according to its official site.
