ST. LOUIS — Police say former St. Louis Alderman Brandon Bosley wasn’t being truthful when he accused a woman of trying to carjack him almost a year ago, which led to her arrest and spending Christmas week in jail away from her family.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore’s office charged Bosley with filing a false police report, a misdemeanor, Wednesday. Originally, police applied for additional charges including unlawful use of a weapon and second-degree assault, both felonies.
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"The investigation into the alleged robbery and assault revealed defendant's statements to 911 and the officers investigating the crimes were not truthful," according to court documents.
Gore's spokeswoman sent a statement to 5 On Your Side, which read: "After an examination of the evidence, our office has determined that the appropriate charge in this case is making a false statement to a police officer, a Class B misdemeanor. In reference to the other charges applied on, based on our review we do not currently have sufficient evidence to go forward. We welcome the cooperation of any persons who believe they may have evidence relevant to this investigation."
Bosley has not returned 5 On Your Side's phone calls requesting comment on the charges.
Class B misdemeanors are punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Bosley called 911 three times in 26 minutes while he was driving in the area, telling police he was robbed at 1522 Hogan St., according to the documents. Police said Bosley was not at that address, but was instead at a nearby address in the 1600 block of Knapp "for an extended length of time," according to the documents.
Bosley also told police he was following a white vehicle that had suspects of the crime in it and that those suspects pulled a gun on him, but video surveillance from multiple locations shows Bosley traveling in the area without following any vehicles, according to the documents.
Bosley is already in trouble with the feds. In June, he was federally indicted on three counts of wire fraud for an insurance fraud scheme.
Each count carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Bosley pleaded not guilty to all of the charges in federal court, and was released on his own recognizance after federal prosecutors and his defense attorney, Paul Sims, agreed that Bosley did not need to be detained.
In December, Bosley accused a woman of trying to carjack him while he was checking trash cans in his ward following citizen complaints. He went on Facebook live following the alleged attack, and the woman can be seen laying in the snow.
She was arrested and charged with two felonies.
She was then released and charges were dropped after sources familiar with the investigation told 5 On Your Side police found surveillance video showing Bosley struck the woman with his car moments before the Facebook live video began. Police applied for charges of filing a false report and assault against Bosley, but former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner's office declined to issue charges citing a lack of evidence in the case.
Bosley's sister, state Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, supported Gardner after the Missouri Attorney General filed a lawsuit to remove Gardner from office this year, accusing her of neglecting her duties.
Bosley took office in April 2017.
Bosley has been very vocal about crime and safety in his neighborhood -- which contains the College Hill, Fairground, Hyde Park, Jeff-Vander-Lou, O'Fallon, Old North St. Louis and St. Louis Place neighborhoods.
In March, he lost his bid for re-election in a four-person primary for the city's new 14th Ward. Rasheen Aldridge now runs that ward.
Bosley also comes from a family with long political ties to the St. Louis community.
His father Freeman Bosley Sr. was the longest-sitting alderman in St. Louis City, his brother Freeman Bosley Jr. was the first African American mayor of St. Louis, his sister LaKeySha Bosley is a state representative and his mother Lucinda Frazier is a committeewoman.