A former St. Louis alderman and member of a powerful political family in the city will spend a little more than a year in federal prison for defrauding an insurance company in 2021.
A federal jury found Brandon Bosley guilty of four felonies in January. The 16-month sentence issued Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey was within federal sentencing guidelines of 12 to 18 months.
Prosecutors had sought an extensive prison term, citing what they called numerous examples of Bosley’s poor character. The former alderman’s lawyers had asked for home confinement.
At the time of his federal conviction, Bosley was also facing a state-level misdemeanor charge of filing a false police report. The Circuit Attorney’s Office later dropped the case.
The scheme
In 2021, Bosley purchased a Toyota Prius from local business owner Mohammed Almuttan for far less than market value. About five months…
This type of fraud targets the supply chain and accounts payable departments of businesses.
- Invoice Manipulation: Criminals intercept a legitimate invoice between a supplier and a client and change the banking details to their own. The client pays the bill thinking they are paying their trusted vendor.
- Kickbacks and Bribery: A vendor secretly pays an employee of the purchasing company to ensure their bid is successful or to overlook inflated pricing.