Latest news with #Charleston-area
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Woman sues three Charleston-area businessman over alleged 2018 rape
CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – An unidentified woman is suing three Charleston-area businessmen, alleging one of them sexually assaulted her when she was unconscious while the others watched and filmed, and that she only learned about it after U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace found video of the alleged incident. The men accused in the May 29 complaint in Charleston County – Patrick Bryant, John Osborne, and Eric Bowman – were three of the four men named by Mace (R-S.C.) in an explosive February 10 speech on the House floor during which she detailed how she said she accidentally found evidence of 'rape, nonconsensual photos and videos of women and underage girls,' including herself. Bryant is Mace's ex-fiancé, and all four men have publicly denied the allegations. Mace read parts of the complaint during a Thursday afternoon press conference on Daniel Island. The woman, who was reportedly 23 at the time, is one of the victims she referenced during her floor speech as having found video recordings and photos of. 'This young woman didn't know she was raped because she was unconscious when it happened,' the congresswoman said. 'I told her the truth after I found the footage. It was one of the hardest conversations of my life. Her strength in coming forward is immeasurable. And I will stand with her, under oath, every step of the way.' The woman, referred to as Jane Doe, claims she was working for one of Bryant's companies in 2018, when she went out drinking with a friend and eventually met up with the defendants before ending the night at Bowman's Sullivan's Island home. The complaint claims Doe was 'very intoxicated and was barely able to walk or talk' at the time and fell into the pool. She allegedly went back into the house, took off her clothes, and 'passed out' on the couch, nearly naked but covered with pillows. She alleges that while she was incapacitated, Bowman and Bryant took nonconsensual photos of her and later filmed Osborne sexually assaulting her. The incident was caught on the home's security camera and witnessed by one of the men's wives, who sent herself an email detailing what she had seen, according to the complaint. When Doe awoke the next morning, the lawsuit claims she was told that he had fallen into the pool. She reportedly did not know she had been assaulted until Mace told her in April 2024. The victim further claimed in the lawsuit that she now believes her drink may have been spiked earlier in the night. Several months after the alleged incident, the complaint states that Doe became aware of a class-action lawsuit against Bryant's company and one of its employees alleging wage theft. Doe, who had since resigned from Bryant's company, joined that lawsuit seeking to recover unpaid overtime, according to the complaint. It then goes on to detail 'veiled threats to publicly embarrass [Doe]' Bowman made if she did not drop out of the suit, including that he would release ''security footage' of her 'smashed' at his house.' She did not remove herself because she did not know what was on the video, and the case was later settled. 'I am filing this lawsuit for myself and for other women who fear being publicly shamed if they report what happened to them,' Doe said in a statement released by her attorney. 'While Congresswoman Mace and I do not share the same political ideology, what has been and will continue to be important to me is her courage in bringing this to light and her unwavering support through this traumatic time in my life. I hope this case encourages women to give themselves the permission to trust their instincts and let go of the shame that never belonged to them in the first place.' The lawsuit is the latest development stemming from the sexual assault and voyeurism claims first made by Mace. Multiple civil lawsuits — one in March against Mace for defamation and an April complaint by Mace against Bowman for the same — have since been filed. A spokesperson for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) said in a Feb. 10 emailed statement to News 2 that it opened an investigation into Bryant regarding allegations of assault, harassment, and voyeurism in December 2023 after being contacted by the U.S. Capitol Police. 'This lawsuit is yet another media stunt in Nancy Mace's long-running vendetta and blackmail campaign against me,' Bryant wrote in a May 29 statement to News 2. 'It is simply part of a narrative and continuing effort on her part designed to destroy me, and to somehow benefit politically from the publicity.' Bowman also responded to the latest legal filing in a statement, labeling it 'nothing more than a political stunt.' 'My current wife Melissa Britton – who, along with Nancy Mace, has carried out a coordinated vendetta against me as I've documented publicly on my Twitter feed…their agenda is personal, not principled and the allegations are 100% false.' This story is breaking and may be updated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Forbes
17-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Scott Bessent's LLC Flipped A House And Lost $100,000 In One Month
Bessent, originally from South Carolina, attended Yale University and worked for George Soros early in his career. Scott Bessent, Donald Trump's Secretary of the Treasury, appears to have lost six figures in a quick-turnaround real estate transaction earlier this year. After buying a new home in Charleston, South Carolina in January for $4.85 million, real estate records suggest he then sold it for $4.75 million in February. Everything was done through shell companies, so the details are a bit difficult to parse, but here's what Forbes found in digging into the documents, which do not appear to have been previously reported. On January 13, an entity called 'Palmetto 2020 Trust LLC,' which Bessent discloses as his own on his financial disclosure, purchased a waterfront home in Charleston's glitzy Crescent neighborhood. The 7,100-square-foot mansion sports a pool and bathhouse. and a Zillow listing emphasizes its 'fusion of English Gothic and Italian Gothic influences' as well as its privacy. The price tag: $4.85 million. But then, on February 25, Palmetto 2020 Trust LLC sold the home to another anonymously named LLC, which Forbes is not identifying here because its name contains the address of the home. Bessent's husband, John Freeman, is listed as the agent for Palmetto 2020 Trust LLC in the sale. Whoever owns that second LLC evidently got a bargain, purchasing the home for $4.75 million, $100,000 less than Palmetto 2020 Trust bought it for in January. The purchasing LLC's registered agent, a Charleston-area real estate lawyer, did not return requests for comment. Neither did the Treasury Department. There are two possible explanations. The first is that these companies are both owned by Bessent and Freeman, and this was a transfer with little actual consequence. The couple lives in both Charleston and D.C., per Bessent's Treasury Department biography, and they sold their previous Charleston home, a 9,000 square foot estate first built in the 1800s, in February for over $18 million. Perhaps they were looking to downsize, given that they also reportedly purchased a $12.5 million home in D.C.'s Georgetown neighborhood in January. But why the prices differed between the two sales is unclear, then. The second possibility is that, for whatever reason, Bessent and Freeman got cold feet after purchasing the home and quickly flipped it to another wealthy, and privacy-conscious, buyer, taking a loss in the process. One-hundred thousand dollars is nothing to sneeze at for most Americans—the median American's net worth is about $193,000, according to a 2022 survey from the Federal Reserve. For Bessent, it's pocket change. A former hedge fund manager, he declared hundreds of millions of dollars of assets on his financial disclosure, including homes in the Bahamas and North Carolina, a commercial building in Charleston and farmland in North Dakota. The Wall Street Journal reported in December that Bessent had sold at least $127 million in U.S. real estate since the 1990s. He has taken losses before—in 2021, he sold a Upper West Side Manhattan condo for $15 million, over $4 million less than he bought it for in 2017.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. Nancy Mace accuses ex-fiancé and associates of assaulting her and raping others in House speech
CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) — Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina on Monday used a nearly hour-long speech on the U.S. House floor to accuse her ex-fiancé of physically abusing her, recording sex acts with her and others without their consent, and conspiring with business associates in acts of rape and sexual misconduct. Mace said she was speaking out because her home state's top prosecutor didn't take action even after she alerted investigators. That same prosecutor is likely to be Mace's opponent if she runs for governor of South Carolina in 2026, which she is considering. Saying she was going 'scorched earth,' Mace detailed how, in November 2023, she says she 'accidentally uncovered some of the most heinous crimes against women imaginable. We're talking about rape, non-consensual photos, non-consensual videos of women and underage girls, and the premeditated, calculated exploitation of women and girls in my district.' Mace mentioned four men as being involved, including Charleston-area businessman Patrick Bryant, who was her fiancé until 2023 and went door-to-door stumping for her during her 2022 reelection campaign. The AP wasn't able to independently verify Mace's claims. Bryant told AP: 'I categorically deny these allegations. I take this matter seriously and will cooperate fully with any necessary legal processes to clear my name.' Mace accused South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson of slow-walking any investigation of Bryant and the other men after she brought the photos and video to state authorities. 'Did South Carolina's attorney general have any of these predators indicted after being provided clear cut-and-dry evidence including video, photos and witnesses?' Mace asked, noting that her office had set up a tip line for anyone with information on the allegations. In a statement after Mace's speech, Wilson's office called her comments regarding the prosecutor's conduct 'categorically false' and said the office 'has not received any reports or requests for assistance from any law enforcement or prosecution agencies regarding these matters.' Mace, a former South Carolina state House member, was the first woman to graduate from The Citadel, the state's military college, where her father then served as commandant of cadets. Briefly serving in the state House, in 2020 she became the first Republican woman elected to represent South Carolina in Congress, flipping the 1st District after a single term with a Democratic representative. Her decision to air the allegations in a floor speech was unusual. In a release, Mace stressed that members' statements on the House floor 'are quintessential 'legislative acts'' and thereby protected by the 'speech or debate' clause, which generally protects lawmakers from being sued for what they say. 'This isn't a story about bitter ex-girlfriends or consensual sex tapes — there are plenty of those. I don't care what two consenting adults agree to do,' Mace said. She mentioned a dozen bills on which she had worked in the House, on topics ranging from stopping voyeurism to banning transgender women from using women's bathrooms at the U.S. Capitol or House office buildings. In 2019, Mace spoke publicly for the first time about a sexual assault she said had occurred more than two decades earlier, addressing South Carolina legislative colleagues in advocating for adding a rape and incest exception to a state House ban on all abortions after detection of a fetal heartbeat. On Monday, Mace said she was joined in the House gallery by several women she said had been victimized by Bryant and the other men. Among the Republican lawmakers who sat behind Mace during her speech to show their support were Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. 'Nancy Mace is our friend and we wanted to support her and give her the encouragement she needed to get that message out,' Boebert said. Mace, 47, won a third U.S. House term in November and has said that she is 'seriously considering' a 2026 run for South Carolina governor. If she enters that race, she will likely face Wilson — in his fourth term and also the son of Rep. Joe Wilson — in the Republican primary. Mace has largely supported President Donald Trump, working for his 2016 campaign but levying criticism against him following the Jan. 6, 2021, violence at the U.S. Capitol, critique that spurred Trump to back a GOP challenger in her 2022 race. Mace defeated that opponent, won reelection and was endorsed by Trump in her 2024 campaign. Mace declined additional comment to reporters in the Capitol after the speech. Asked how she felt now, she said: 'I'm at peace.' ___ Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking contributed. ___ Kinnard can be reached at Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nancy Mace Accuses Ex-Fiancé Of Abusing Her And Predatory Acts With Others
CHAPIN, S.C. — Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina on Monday used a nearly hour-long speech on the U.S. House floor to accuse her ex-fiancé of physically abusing her, recording sex acts with her and others without their consent, and conspiring with business associates in acts of rape and sexual misconduct. Mace said she was speaking out because her home state's top prosecutor didn't take action even after she alerted investigators. That same prosecutor is likely to be Mace's opponent if she runs for governor of South Carolina in 2026, which she is considering. Saying she was going 'scorched earth,' Mace detailed how, in November 2023, she says she 'accidentally uncovered some of the most heinous crimes against women imaginable. We're talking about rape, non-consensual photos, non-consensual videos of women and underage girls, and the premeditated, calculated exploitation of women and girls in my district.' Mace mentioned four men as being involved, including Charleston-area businessman Patrick Bryant, who was her fiancé until 2023 and went door-to-door stumping for her during her 2022 reelection campaign. The AP wasn't able to independently verify Mace's claims. Bryant told AP: 'I categorically deny these allegations. I take this matter seriously and will cooperate fully with any necessary legal processes to clear my name.' Mace accused South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson of slow-walking any investigation of Bryant and the other men after she brought the photos and video to state authorities. 'Did South Carolina's attorney general have any of these predators indicted after being provided clear cut-and-dry evidence including video, photos and witnesses?' Mace asked, noting that her office had stood up a tip line for anyone with information on the allegations. In a statement after Mace's speech, Wilson's office called her comments regarding the prosecutor's conduct 'categorically false' and said the office 'has not received any reports or requests for assistance from any law enforcement or prosecution agencies regarding these matters.' Mace, a former South Carolina state House member, was the first woman to graduate from The Citadel, the state's military college, where her father then served as commandant of cadets. Briefly serving in the state House, in 2020 she became the first Republican woman elected to represent South Carolina in Congress, flipping the 1st District after a single term with a Democratic representative. Her decision to air the allegations in a floor speech was unusual. In a release, Mace stressed that members' statements on the House floor 'are quintessential 'legislative acts'' and thereby protected by the 'speech or debate' clause, which generally protects lawmakers from being sued for what they say. 'This isn't a story about bitter ex-girlfriends or consensual sex tapes — there are plenty of those. I don't care what two consenting adults agree to do,' Mace said. She mentioned a dozen bills on which she had worked in the House, on topics ranging from stopping voyeurism to banning transgender women from using women's bathrooms at the U.S. Capitol or House office buildings. In 2019, Mace spoke publicly for the first time about a sexual assault she said had occurred more than two decades earlier, addressing South Carolina legislative colleagues in advocating for adding a rape and incest exception to a state House ban on all abortions after detection of a fetal heartbeat. On Monday, Mace said she was joined in the House gallery by several women she said had been victimized by Bryant and the other men. Among the Republican lawmakers who sat behind Mace during her speech to show their support were Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo, and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. 'Nancy Mace is our friend and we wanted to support her and give her the encouragement she needed to get that message out,' Boebert said. Mace, 47, won a third U.S. House term in November and has said that she is 'seriously considering' a 2026 run for South Carolina governor. If she enters that race, she will likely face Wilson — in his fourth term and also the son of Rep. Joe Wilson — in the Republican primary. Mace has largely supported President Donald Trump, working for his 2016 campaign but levying criticism against him following the Jan. 6, 2021, violence at the U.S. Capitol, critique that spurred Trump to back a GOP challenger in her 2022 race. Mace defeated that opponent, won reelection and was endorsed by Trump in her 2024 campaign. Mace declined additional comment to reporters in the Capitol after the speech. Asked how she felt now, she said: 'I'm at peace.'
Boston Globe
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Representative Nancy Mace accuses ex-fiancé and associates of assaulting her and raping others in House speech
Advertisement Mace mentioned four men as being involved, including Charleston-area businessman Patrick Bryant, who was her fiancé until 2023 and went door-to-door stumping for her during her 2022 reelection campaign. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The AP wasn't able to independently verify Mace's claims. Bryant told AP: 'I categorically deny these allegations. I take this matter seriously and will cooperate fully with any necessary legal processes to clear my name.' Mace accused South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson of slow-walking any investigation of Bryant and the other men after she brought the photos and video to state authorities. 'Did South Carolina's attorney general have any of these predators indicted after being provided clear cut-and-dry evidence including video, photos and witnesses?' Mace asked, noting that her office had stood up a tip line for anyone with information on the allegations. In a statement after Mace's speech, Wilson's office called her comments regarding the prosecutor's conduct 'categorically false' and said the office 'has not received any reports or requests for assistance from any law enforcement or prosecution agencies regarding these matters.' Mace, a former South Carolina state House member, was the first woman to graduate from The Citadel, the state's military college, where her father then served as commandant of cadets. Briefly serving in the state House, in 2020 she became the first Republican woman elected to represent South Carolina in Congress, flipping the 1st District after a single term with a Democratic representative. Advertisement Her decision to air the allegations in a floor speech was unusual. In a release, Mace stressed that members' statements on the House floor 'are quintessential 'legislative acts'' and thereby protected by the 'speech or debate' clause, which generally protects lawmakers from being sued for what they say. 'This isn't a story about bitter ex-girlfriends or consensual sex tapes — there are plenty of those. I don't care what two consenting adults agree to do,' Mace said. She mentioned a dozen bills on which she had worked in the House, on topics ranging from stopping voyeurism to banning transgender women from using women's bathrooms at the U.S. Capitol or House office buildings. In 2019, Mace spoke publicly for the first time about a sexual assault she said had occurred more than two decades earlier, addressing South Carolina legislative colleagues in advocating for adding a rape and incest exception to a state House ban on all abortions after detection of a fetal heartbeat. On Monday, Mace said she was joined in the House gallery by several women she said had been victimized by Bryant and the other men. Among the Republican lawmakers who sat behind Mace during her speech to show their support were Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo, and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. 'Nancy Mace is our friend and we wanted to support her and give her the encouragement she needed to get that message out,' Boebert said. Mace, 47, won a third U.S. House term in November and has said that she is 'seriously considering' a 2026 run for South Carolina governor. If she enters that race, she will likely face Wilson — in his fourth term and also the son of Rep. Joe Wilson — in the Republican primary. Advertisement Mace has largely supported President Donald Trump, working for his 2016 campaign but levying criticism against him following the Jan. 6, 2021, violence at the U.S. Capitol, critique that spurred Trump to back a GOP challenger in her 2022 race. Mace defeated that opponent, won reelection and was endorsed by Trump in her 2024 campaign. Mace declined additional comment to reporters in the Capitol after the speech. Asked how she felt now, she said: 'I'm at peace.' ___ Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking contributed. Kinnard can be reached at
