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ST. LOUIS 鈥� Former Alderman Brandon Bosley is getting a new lawyer after experiencing 鈥渋rreconcilable differences鈥� with his current attorney, Diane Dragan.

With an Aug. 25 trial date nearing, Dragan and Bosley said Monday they disagreed on how to defend Bosley from allegations of wire fraud and lying to the FBI.

鈥淭here is just a difference in what we believe would cause a successful trial,鈥� Bosley said in court Monday. 鈥淚, in no way, set aside her expertise or years of experience.鈥�

Dragan even brought in other experienced lawyers to mediate so they could move forward, she said.

Once a new lawyer is appointed, Bosley 鈥� who represented Hyde Park and other North City neighborhoods before losing re-election in March 2023 鈥� will be on his third attorney in a case that has dragged on for more than two years.

In June 2023, Bosley was indicted on three counts of wire fraud after being caught up in a sweeping bribery investigation that landed three other former aldermen in federal prison.

Prosecutors accused Bosley of inflating the repair bill for a Toyota Prius in an insurance claim. He had purchased the car for $500, well below its nearly $10,000 value, from a convenience store and auto shop owner who was also a federal informant, court records say.

In February 2022, Bosley offered the informant a bribe in exchange for helping inflate a car repair bill to get the Prius totaled by the insurance company so he could get a settlement check.

鈥淚鈥檒l throw you a few thousand dollars, and (expletive) that insurance company,鈥� Bosley told the informant, according to an indictment.

The informant eventually agreed to increase the price as a favor, court documents say; Bosley had previously sponsored legislation that helped the informant鈥檚 businesses.

Initially, Bosley was represented by local criminal defense attorney Paul Sims, but Sims sought to withdraw from the case in September 2023. Bosley said Monday that Sims left the case because Bosley wanted to go to trial.

In October, federal authorities filed a new indictment, adding another count of wire fraud and a charge of lying to the FBI.

Bosley was also charged in state court with a misdemeanor of making a false police report by accusing a woman of trying to carjack him.

Bosley filed an affidavit saying he couldn鈥檛 afford a private attorney, and Dragan was appointed in December 2023 to his federal case, records show.

Last week, Dragan filed to withdraw from the case.

On Monday, Bosley, Dragan and U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey spoke at length about why.

Autrey spent several moments peppering Bosley with questions about his experience with criminal trials. Had he been a defendant before? Served on a jury?

No, Bosley said, he hadn鈥檛.

Autrey said in his decades practicing law and on the bench, he鈥檇 seen many criminal defendants disagreeing with the way their lawyers planned to handle the case.

But criminal lawyers have studied the law, he said. They have experience in court.

Autrey said he wasn鈥檛 trying to offer Bosley advice, but he warned him that his third lawyer may have a similar interpretation of the facts after a close examination.

Still, Autrey said, it was important for a lawyer and a client to be able to work together.

鈥淚f you can鈥檛 communicate with your lawyer, frankly, things go down the toilet real fast,鈥� he said.

Autrey allowed Dragan to withdraw and set a new trial date for Sept. 22. Bosley鈥檚 state case is set for trial Nov. 3.