ST. LOUIS (KMOX)-The President of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen and two other aldermen have been indicted, accused of being involved in bribery in connection with their official duties.
Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, 22nd Ward Alderman Jeffrey Boyd and 21st Ward Alderman John Collins-Muhammad appeared in Federal Court Thursday afternoon. Reed and Boyd pleaded not guilty. Collins-Muhammad has not yet entered a plea.
According to the 66-page indictment, between January of 2021 and March of this year, Collins-Muhammad accepted several thousand dollars in cash payments, campaign contributions, an automobile and other items in exchange for helping a business owner obtain tax increment financing for a gas station/convenience store on Geraldine Ave. in his ward. He also allegedly introduced the business owner to another public official who could help his company receive city contracts. Collins-Muhammad and the business owner agreed to split any profits from those contracts. Collins-Muhammad resigned from the board in May.
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Reed is accused of accepting cash payments and campaign donations to help the business owner receive Minority Business Enterprise certification and city contracts.
The indictment accuses Boyd of accepting cash and free automobile repairs to help the business owner purchase city-owned property. In a separate indictment, Boyd is accused of trying to defraud an insurance company, which refused to pay for damage to one of his vehicles while it was parked at a repair shop. The scheme allegedly involved claiming that the vehicle had been sold to Boyd's company prior to the accident.
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A spokesperson for Mayor Tishaura Jones, who defeated Reed in the 2021 Mayor's race, issued the following statement: "Mayor Jones is deeply troubled by the allegations outlined by the US Attorney against Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, Alderman John Collins-Muhammad, and President Lewis Reed. Our office will monitor this case as it progresses through the legal system."
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