John Osborne is a Charleston-area entrepreneur and investor, formerly a managing partner at Good Growth Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm, and a co-founder of the Harbor Entrepreneur Center and Charleston Angel Partners.

What Happened

On February 10, 2025, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) delivered a speech on the House floor in which she publicly named Osborne — alongside her then-ex-fiancé Patrick Bryant and Eric Bowman — in connection with allegations of sexual assault and nonconsensual recording of women. Mace alleged that she had discovered video footage on Bryant's phone in November 2023 depicting an assault at a property owned by Bowman on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, and that Osborne was the person she saw in that footage committing the assault while Bryant and Bowman recorded it.

Mace's floor speech: what she said about Osborne

During the speech, Mace specifically named Osborne several times. According to a transcript of the address, Mace alleged: "One of Patrick Bryant's business associates, John Osborne, sexually assaulted her at the home of Eric Bowman." She also directed remarks toward him personally: "John Osborne today, John Osborne, I want you to hear this in your omission as you're frantically texting people today." In a closing passage addressed to all four men she named, Mace stated: "To Eric Bowman, Patrick Bryant, Brian Musgrave, and John Osborne, you have bought yourself a one-way ticket to hell." She also said, in a line widely quoted in press coverage: "I cannot unsee what you did to this young woman." All of these statements are Mace's allegations; they have not been established as fact in any legal proceeding.

The "predators" poster

During the speech, Mace stood beside a large poster board displayed to her right on the House floor. According to press reports, the poster bore the heading "PREDATORS. STAY AWAY FROM." and featured headshots of each of the four men she named, along with their names and hometowns. Mace told the chamber: "You can see the names and the faces of these predators on this board to my right tonight." Following the floor speech, Mace continued to display the poster outside her congressional office in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill. The poster was visible in a February 11, 2025 video in which Mace posed next to it, and it appeared again in a group photo posted to her official social media account on or around March 10, 2025. The poster was subsequently removed; the exact date of removal was not publicly confirmed. Attorneys for at least one of the named men publicly questioned whether displaying the poster outside her office — beyond the floor speech itself — was protected by the Constitution's Speech and Debate Clause.

Denials, reviews, and professional consequences

Osborne publicly denied the allegations in a phone interview with reporters shortly after the speech, stating: "The claims are categorically untrue and it is completely unfair to be looped in to such accusations from her." Osborne and the other named men have not been charged with any crime in connection with the allegations. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) was reported to be investigating the matter following Mace's speech.

Following the February 2025 speech, Osborne initially took a leave of absence from Good Growth Capital. According to reporting by FITSNews (May 2025), two internal reviews commissioned by the firm's attorneys — one focused on technology and one on human resources — reportedly turned up no information related to Mace's claims. Nonetheless, Good Growth Capital parted ways with Osborne in April 2025, citing a desire to distance the company from the public allegations. His LinkedIn profile lists his employment at Good Growth as ending in April 2025.

In May 2025, a civil class action lawsuit was filed in South Carolina state court by an anonymous plaintiff (Jane Doe) against Osborne, Bryant, and Bowman arising from the same alleged events described in Mace's speech. The lawsuit is unadjudicated. Mace's official congressional website issued a statement in support of the plaintiff when the lawsuit was filed.

No criminal charges against Osborne had been publicly reported as of the date of this entry. All allegations remain unproven and disputed by Osborne.

Sources

1. Post and Courier — "On House floor, Mace accuses ex-fiancé and others of sex abuse, exploitation. All deny." (Feb. 10, 2025)
2. Post and Courier — "Here's what we know about the 4 men accused of sexual assault in Rep. Nancy Mace speech" (Feb. 2025)
3. FITSNews — "Sources: Charleston Investment Firm Fires Man Labeled 'Predator' By Nancy Mace" (May 1, 2025)
4. Rep. Nancy Mace on X (Twitter) — response to Osborne denial, "I cannot unsee what you did to this young woman" (Feb. 11, 2025)
5. FITSNews — "Jane Doe Lawsuit Targets Nancy Mace's Ex-Fiancée" (May 29, 2025)
6. CSPAN transcript — Mace floor speech, Feb. 10–11, 2025 (via fudgie.org) — source for verbatim Osborne-naming quotes
7. Post and Courier — "US Rep. Nancy Mace took her fight beyond the House floor. Now comes the legal challenge." — poster outside office, Speech and Debate Clause question
8. Post and Courier — "US Rep. Nancy Mace sued for libel and defamation" — poster details, timeline

See Also

• People in the Public Record
• Litigation Overview
• Overview

Neutral, public-record summary. Allegations are attributed to their source and remain unproven unless adjudicated.