Three men that Rep. Nancy Mace named as predators on the House floor last year — including her ex-fiancé — have been formally charged with sex crimes by South Carolina authorities, vindicating a congresswoman who was met with denials, lawsuits, and institutional indifference when she dared speak out.
The stakes are plain: a woman in power used the biggest platform she had to expose alleged sexual predators, and the system's first instinct was to doubt her. It took state agents nearly two years from the opening of their investigation — and eight years from the night of the alleged assault — to bring charges.
John Douglas Osborne, 46, was charged with first-degree assault and battery and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct for allegedly fondling and performing oral sex on a 23-year-old intoxicated woman who could not consent. The incident occurred at Eric Bernard Bowman's Sullivan's Island home on Oct. 26, 2018, according to arrest warrant affidavits filed by the State Law Enforcement Division.
Bowman, 46, faces voyeurism charges, obstruction of justice for doing a factory reset on a cellphone he knew investigators were seeking, and a charge of publishing the name of a victim of criminal sexual conduct after posting the victim's name and a video of her on X. Brendan Patrick Bryant, 53 — Mace's former fiancé and a Charleston software entrepreneur — is charged with voyeurism.
According to sworn statements from SLED agents, the men discussed the assault beforehand, took photos, and recorded it. A witness watching a home security video feed saw the assault in real time and saved two still images. The woman had fallen into a pool and was passed out on a couch.
When Mace took the House floor in February 2025, she described finding evidence on Bryant's cellphone — footage of hidden camera recordings, non-consensual photos and videos of women and underage girls, and an app containing more than 10,000 videos from just one hidden camera. She revealed she herself was a victim after zooming in on footage of a naked woman recorded without her knowledge and recognizing her own voice.
The response? Bryant and the other men issued strong denials. Bryant told the Associated Press he would "cooperate fully with any necessary legal processes to clear my name." The Post and Courier reported all four men Mace named issued strong denials. Bryant later sued Mace, claiming she fabricated the allegations, according to WIS10's prior coverage.
SLED confirmed its investigation dated to Dec. 14, 2023, after being contacted by U.S. Capitol Police. The agency described the case as "complex" and said it conducted multiple interviews and served multiple search warrants. Complex or not, it took nearly three years from investigation launch to charges.
Mace, who is leaving the House after losing a gubernatorial bid, said in a statement she has introduced 25 bills to protect victims of sexual assault, including against retaliatory defamation lawsuits — the very kind her accusers used to try to silence her. She also introduced a proposal this week requiring plaintiffs who bring such defamation cases and lose to pay the defendant's attorney fees.
SLED has not said whether its investigation into any of the men continues. The question now is whether the system that dragged its feet will see these charges through — and whether the fourth man Mace named on the floor will ever face his day in court.
