Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC) is facing explosive accusations from her former fiancé, Patrick Bryant, who claims the Republican lawmaker waged a “scorched earth” campaign to destroy his reputation after their breakup.
According to a 19-page complaint filed Thursday in Charleston County, Bryant accuses Mace of hacking his phone, tracking his car, and fabricating sexual assault allegations as part of an elaborate scheme to blackmail him out of two jointly owned homes valued at roughly $6 million.
Bryant, a 51-year-old entrepreneur, alleges that after their November 2023 split, Mace became “paranoid” he was cheating and placed an AirTag in his car to monitor his movements. He further claims she installed a secret app called Mr. Fone on his phone to “extract and download” personal photos and data without his consent.
“Mace had previously admitted to searching Bryant’s laptop in violation of his privacy … and placing an AirTag on his car tracking his locations while she was traveling internationally,” the lawsuit reads.
Bryant’s suit contends that Mace used the hacked information to threaten him, telling her political consultant that she would “use the information she found on his phone to get her houses.” He claims she instructed the consultant to tell him she would release alleged compromising photos unless he signed over the properties.
The complaint further accuses Mace of conspiring with Eric Bowman’s ex-wife, Melissa Britton, to convince a “vulnerable” young woman—identified as Jane Doe—that she had been gang raped by Bryant and two other men at a 2018 party.
“What Mace did not tell Doe is that she concocted an entire false narrative of an assault, to blackmail Bryant, gain leverage in their separation proceedings, and try to ruin Bryant for her personal gain,” the filing alleges. Bryant insists that the supposed assault “never happened” and that he is “an innocent and respected businessman who has been falsely branded a rapist and voyeur.” He is seeking unspecified damages for invasion of privacy, defamation, and emotional distress.
In response to the lawsuit, Mace told the Daily Mail, “It’s almost as if Patrick Bryant is asking to write me another check,” referencing a separate case where a lawyer linked to Bryant was fined for improper legal filings. “I just got him sanctioned in court and it sounds like he may need to be sanctioned again,” she added. “Rape victim Jane Doe and I are still waiting on his check to pay our legal fees after weaponizing the court and using lawfare against us.”
Mace, 47, who is expected to enter the 2026 gubernatorial race, has already been entangled in several lawsuits stemming from a fiery February House speech in which she named four men—including Bryant—as alleged sexual predators. During that speech, Mace claimed she and other women were drugged, molested, and filmed without consent.
Bryant’s countersuit argues that Mace’s congressional remarks were protected by the Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause but that her actions outside Congress were “extreme and outrageous.” His attorneys wrote, “When a sitting United States Congresswoman instead privately weaponizes falsehoods to extort private property, fabricates criminal allegations to destroy a citizen’s reputation, and abuses her private relationships to coerce private citizens, that conduct shocks the conscience of every voter who entrusted her with their vote.”
Bryant is the only one of the four men mentioned in Mace’s February remarks who has faced a criminal probe by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, but no charges have been filed. He and Mace were engaged in May 2022 before calling it off 18 months later, after she told media outlets she had found his profile on Tinder.
“For almost two years I’ve had to stay quiet while completely false accusations were spread about me,” Bryant told the Daily Mail. “Claims that were created, repeated, and weaponized to serve personal and political vendettas. I have never assaulted or raped any woman.”
He continued, “Mace continues to frame herself as a victim, while she was one of the people who originated these claims and helped push them forward. She now tries to hide behind the privileges of her office, but this has nothing to do with governing. It’s a completely personal attack. This countersuit is about protecting innocent people from being destroyed by false accusations.”
Both Bowman and another accused man, John Osborne, have denied any involvement in the alleged 2018 assault.
Leave a Comment