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. U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey also ordered Bosley to serve three years of supervised release after his prison term and pay $6,253.90 in restitution.
Bosley’s conviction stems from a scheme involving an inflated auto repair claim following a car accident, as well as subsequent false statements made during an FBI interview. The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to prosecute public officials who engage in fraudulent activities.
According to evidence presented at trial, Bosley orchestrated a plan after his parked vehicle was hit in September 2021, asking an auto repair shop owner—who had sold him the car at a discounted price—to submit inflated repair estimates in exchange for a bribe. Recorded conversations captured Bosley instructing the business owner: “Mark that (expletive) all the way up.” The jury found that Bosley lied multiple times when questioned by FBI agents about these actions.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith wrote in a sentencing memo 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 to the damaged Prius automobile.” 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.”
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 by working with entities to prevent crime and improve quality of life, according to the official website. The office investigates and prosecutes federal crimes such as terrorism and fraud while enforcing civil rights; it collaborates with law enforcement agencies across its jurisdiction covering 49 counties according to its official website. It operates under the United States Department of Justice using courthouses including Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse in St. Louis as noted on its website.
