South Carolina state agents arrested Rep. Nancy Mace’s former fiancé and two other men she named on the House floor, charging them over an alleged 2018 assault on a beach-town island near Charleston.
Story Snapshot
- SLED, South Carolina’s state police agency, arrested Patrick Bryant, Eric Bowman and John Osborne and charged them over an October 2018 incident on Sullivan’s Island.
- Bryant faces a voyeurism charge; Bowman faces voyeurism, obstruction of justice and a charge for naming the alleged victim online; Osborne faces assault charges.
- The men have denied Mace’s claims, according to reports, and Bryant sued her in 2025, saying she made the story up.
- The charges are accusations, and all three men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
State Agents Charge Three Men Mace Named in 2025
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, known as SLED, is the state’s top police agency, and on Wednesday, October 14, it announced that it had arrested three men that Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican congresswoman from South Carolina, publicly accused in a February 2025 House floor speech. The charges stem from what agents say happened to a 23-year-old woman at a Sullivan’s Island home in the early morning of October 26, 2018. All three appeared in bond court that Wednesday morning and were booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center in Charleston County.
The men have publicly denied Mace’s claims, and Bryant, her former fiancé, went to court in November 2025 to fight them. His lawsuit says Mace made up the assault story to blackmail him and that nothing happened to the woman after she fell into a pool at a party that night. The suit accuses Mace of defamation, which means damaging someone’s name with false statements. Mace has rejected his claims.
Who Was Charged and With What
Bryant, 53, Bowman, 46, and Osborne, 46, are Charleston County men who have been longtime friends and business associates. The home where the incident is alleged to have happened belongs to Bowman.
- John Osborne is charged with first-degree assault and battery and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, South Carolina’s term for an assault on a person who cannot consent. His bond was set at $225,000.
- Patrick Bryant is charged with voyeurism, which means secretly watching or recording someone in a private moment. His bond was set at $50,000, and his lawyer challenged the amount.
- Eric Bowman is charged with voyeurism, obstruction of justice and publishing the name of a victim of criminal sexual conduct. His bond was set at $175,000.
All three must stay away from the woman and any witness, may not name them in public and must surrender their passports. Their first court appearances are set for Friday, December 4, at 2 p.m. Osborne’s lawyer told the court that his client has no prior arrests, cooperated with investigators and is not a flight risk.
What the Warrants Say Happened in 2018
According to sworn statements filed by SLED agents, the woman had been drinking, fell into the home’s swimming pool and later fell asleep on a sofa. Agents say that while she was unconscious, the three men talked among themselves, and Osborne assaulted her while Bryant and Bowman watched. The warrants say she was “mentally incapacitated and physically helpless due to her extreme intoxication” and did not consent.
Agents say a witness watching the home’s security camera feed saw what happened and saved two still images. The warrants also say Bowman and Bryant took photos and videos. The woman has said she did not learn she had been assaulted until April 2024.
SLED says Bowman handed over a phone that had been wiped clean by a factory reset in March 2025, after he knew agents had search warrants, and that this slowed the case. Agents also say Bowman posted the woman’s name and a video identifying her on X, the social media site.
How the Case Reached This Point
SLED began looking into at least one of the men in December 2023 after a call from the U.S. Capitol Police, more than a year before Mace’s speech. In that nearly hour-long speech, Mace accused Bryant of abuse and of recording women without their consent, and she called the men “predators.” In May 2025, the woman, using the name Jane Doe, sued the men in civil court.
In a statement after the arrests, Mace pointed to her work on victims’ rights. “Every survivor deserves to be heard. Every victim deserves justice,” she said. “Every predator deserves accountability.” Mary Beth Mullaney, a lawyer who represents the woman, called the arrests “a good first step” in court. In a statement read by an advocate, the woman called the case “a very significant step.”
What This Means for Readers
This case shows why facts, due process and equal justice matter. State agents filed charges after interviews, search warrants and sworn statements. That is a real step beyond headlines. At the same time, every person charged keeps the presumption of innocence until a court decides. Our system works when investigators document evidence, prosecutors charge what they can prove and courts guard everyone’s rights, the accused and the alleged victim alike.
Sources:
wtoc.com, foxcarolina.com, people.com, abcnews4.com, scdailygazette.com
