Three men named by U.S. Representative Nancy Mace in a February 2025 congressional floor speech—including her former fiancé, Brendan Patrick Bryant—were arrested and charged on October 14, 2026, by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division in connection with a 2018 sexual assault on Sullivan’s Island.
More than seven years after an early-morning assault at a Sullivan’s Island residence, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division announced the arrests of three Lowcountry businessmen on October 14, 2026. The charges follow an investigation that stretched more than a year after Mace delivered an hourlong speech on the U.S. House floor in Washington, D.C., in February 2025, where she publicly accused the men of sexual misconduct.
Arrests and Charges Filed by State Law Enforcement
State agents booked John Douglas Osborne, Brendan Patrick Bryant, and Eric Bernard Bowman into the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center in Charleston County following the Wednesday morning arrests. The 9th Circuit Solicitor’s Office will prosecute the case.
During a Wednesday afternoon court appearance, a judge established a combined $450,000 in surety bonds for the trio of defendants. Osborne faced a cumulative bond of $225,000, broken down into $75,000 for each of his three separate charges. Bowman was assigned a total bond amount of $175,000, which encompassed $50,000 tied to voyeurism, $75,000 for obstruction of justice, and $50,000 relating to publishing the identity of a criminal sexual conduct victim. Bryant’s bond was set at $50,000. All three men have since posted bond and been released from custody.
Probable Cause Affidavits Detail the 2018 Sullivan’s Island Incident
According to probable cause affidavits released by investigators, the events unfolded on October 26, 2018, at a home on Sullivan’s Island, an affluent suburb of Charleston. A 23-year-old woman consumed alcoholic beverages before returning to the residence, where she became so intoxicated she fell into the swimming pool. After exiting the pool, she shed her wet clothes, leaving on her bra with no underwear, and attempted to cover herself with a pillow on a couch in the common area before passing out.
State agents stated that the woman was mentally incapacitated and physically helpless due to extreme intoxication. While she was unconscious, Bowman, Bryant, and Osborne discussed sexually exploiting her and agreed that Osborne would have sex with the victim while the other men watched, according to the arrest warrants. Investigators said an unnamed witness watching a home security video feed observed the incident, preserved two still photos, and wrote an email or journal entry detailing the encounter from her perspective.
According to the arrest affidavits, Osborne committed acts of sexual battery against a 23-year-old woman who had passed out from alcohol use, while Bowman and Bryant were present and watched as they took photographs or video of the victim.
Specific Charges Against Osborne, Bryant, and Bowman
- John Douglas Osborne, 46, is charged with one count of first-degree assault and battery and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
- Brendan Patrick Bryant, 53, Mace’s former fiancé, is charged with voyeurism.
- Eric Bernard Bowman, 46, faces charges of voyeurism, obstruction of justice, and unlawfully publishing the name of a criminal sexual conduct victim.
In addition to the voyeurism charge, Bowman was accused of obstruction of justice after state agents determined he performed a factory reset on his cellphone on March 23, 2025—just three days after SLED executed a search warrant seeking the device and three days before he turned it over. Authorities also stated that Bowman knowingly published the name of the female victim and posted a video where she could be identified on the social media platform X.
Distinction Between the Arrests and the Fourth Man Named by Mace
While three of the four men named in Mace’s February 2025 House floor address have been arrested, the fourth individual—Brian Musgrave—has not been charged. In an 18-page assessment detailing the investigation, 14th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson concluded that nothing in SLED’s investigation supported any of the congresswoman’s claims regarding Musgrave.
Musgrave’s attorneys, Eric S. Bland and Ronald L. Richter Jr., released a statement noting that their client and his family endured unimaginable distress and financial loss since the speech. Musgrave filed a defamation and libel lawsuit against Mace one month after her address, though that suit was dismissed in August 2025.
Legislative Push and Upcoming Court Schedule
Following the arrests, Mace released a statement detailing 20-plus bills aimed at protecting victims of sexual assault, harassment, and retaliatory defamation lawsuits. The proposal includes requiring plaintiffs who bring defamation cases and lose to pay attorney fees for defendants.
I know this is only the first step toward these men taking accountability for what they did to me but it is a very significant step. All I wanted was the truth, the freedom to speak it, and the ability to live without fear.
Rep. Nancy Mace, verified role
All three defendants are scheduled to return to court for first appearances on December 4, 2026, at 2 p.m.
