BY: Denver Sean
Published 3 hours ago
Things aren’t looking too good for Dr. Wendy.
The ‘Real Housewives of Potomac’ star and her husband, Eddie Osefo, are being accused by prosecutors of having over 40 credit cards and even using aliases to mask their identity.
Prosecutors are seeking additional financial records of “Real Housewives of Potomac” star Wendy Osefo and her husband, Eddie Osefo, that they say will show a pattern of excessive spending and support a motive in their criminal fraud case, new court filings show.
Defense attorneys for the Osefos had said Carroll County prosecutors were on a “fishing expedition” in seeking new banking records for the couple, who were indicted last month for allegedly staging a burglary at their Finksburg home in order to claim losses. They want the subpoenas quashed.
But prosecutors responded saying the Osefos have “approximately 40 credit and/or debit cards, some of which are believed to be in company names,” and have in other instances used the aliases “Pam Oliver” and “Eddie Hennessy” in a “deliberate attempt to mask their identity.” Prosecutors also say Wendy Osefo falsely denied using PayPal, Venmo and Cash App to pay for jewelry.
“The state anticipates seeing purchases as well as returns on the financial records,” prosecutors wrote. “Additionally, the State expects such documentation to show a pattern of excessive spending, supporting motive in this case. The State avers that insurance fraud is a financial crime, and in that, the amount of debt owed by the Osefos, jointly, individually and by the businesses that they own, is highly relevant to their motive.”
Eddie Osefo’s attorney Joseph Murtha said the requests were overly broad and strangely timed, saying prosecutors were “looking for something they haven’t figured out after 18 months of investigating.” He said authorities hadn’t talked to the Osefos “from the time of the break-in until they were charged criminally.”
Wendy Osefo’s attorney Jeremy Eldridge declined to comment.
Circuit Court Judge Brian DeLeonardo said he would take up the dispute over the subpoenas at a status hearing on Dec. 2.
The Osefos were indicted by a Carroll County grand jury and charged with seven counts of insurance fraud, eight counts of conspiracy insurance fraud and one count of making a false statement to a police officer.
The charges stem from a reported burglary at their Finksburg home on April 7, 2024. The Osefos told a sheriff’s deputy that their home was broken into while they were on vacation in Jamaica, and that thieves ransacked their bedroom and closets, stealing $450,000 worth of designer handbags and jewelry.
Deputies doubted the claim and determined that numerous items the couple said were stolen had been returned to stores for refunds prior to the alleged burglary, a prosecutor wrote in court records.
“Investigation revealed the Osefos to be burdened by substantial debt,” prosecutors wrote in previous court filings.
Both are free on $50,000 bond.
Wendy Osefo, known as Dr. Wendy to Bravo fans, is a television personality, political commentator and former Johns Hopkins University professor. She shares three children with Eddie Osefo, who has a number of business ventures including Happy Eddie, a marijuana company.
The alleged burglary hasn’t been a prominent plot point on Season 10 of “The Real Housewives of Potomac,” which is currently airing. Wendy Osefo said on Sunday’s episode, taped after the alleged burglary took place, that she and Eddie were spending approximately $100,000 on extensive renovations to their Finksburg home.
At last weekend’s BravoCon, a convention celebrating the Bravo network’s reality stars, Wendy Osefo addressed the allegations, stating she would speak on what happened when the cast films the reunion, likely to take place this winter.
She also took time to thank her fans.
“It’s an unfortunate situation, and right now I can’t say too much, but I will say when the time is right I will share my story with everyone,” Osefo said. “And for now they’re just allegations, so we will continue to push forward.”
Osefo is not the only cast member on the hit reality television show to run into trouble with the law recently. Karen Huger, who also made an appearance at BravoCon, served about six months in jail this year for a DUI. Though Huger did not film Season 10 with the rest of the cast, the woman known to fans as “the Grande Dame of Potomac” sat down with Bravo host Andy Cohen after her release for an interview that will air during the season finale.
And Mia Thornton, who was on the reality television show for four seasons and departed last year, was arrested Wednesday in Georgia for larceny involving an alleged furniture theft. Thornton, who now lives in Atlanta, is accused of stealing $11,000 in furniture from a rented condo.
via: Baltimore Banner
‘Real Housewives of Potomac’ star Wendy Osefo and her husband arrested on fraud charges
The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office said the couple fraudulently reported a burglary and theft at their Maryland home.
“Real Housewives of Potomac” star Wendy Osefo and her husband, Eddie Osefo, were arrested Thursday in Maryland after being indicted by a grand jury for allegedly falsely reporting a home burglary and theft.
Wendy Osefo, 41, faces 16 charges related to making false/misleading information fraud and making false statements to an officer, court records show. Her husband, 41, faces 18 charges for the same crimes. Attorney information was not listed.
A spokesperson for the reality star said she and her husband are back home and in good spirits.
“They are grateful for the outpouring of concern and support from friends, fans, and colleagues. The Osefos, alongside their legal team, look forward to their day in court,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “At this time, they respectfully ask for privacy as they focus on their family and the legal process ahead.”
Deputies were called to the couple’s Finksburg home on April 7, 2024, for a report of a burglary and theft, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post on Friday. The Osefos allegedly told deputies that they had just returned from vacation to find that their home had been burglarized.
The couple said that jewelry, luxury goods, clothing, and shoes totaling more than $200,000 were stolen, the release states.
During an investigation, the sheriff’s office said that detectives found that Wendy Osefo and her husband had returned roughly $20,000 of the alleged stolen items to the stores where they purchased them. Detectives also found images of one of them wearing jewelry that had been reported stolen after the burglary took place, according to the news release.
A search warrant was issued at the couple’s home, and they were taken into custody Thursday.
They were released on Friday after posting bond.
Wendy Osefo has appeared on Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Potomac” since 2020. Her husband, who often appears on the show, is an attorney and founder of the cannabis brand, Happy Eddie.
Bravo did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
The arrests come weeks after Wendy Osefo’s “Real Housewives of Potomac” co-star Karen Huger was released from prison after serving a one-year sentence for driving under the influence and other charges.
via: NBC News
Everything the RHOP Cast Has Said About Wendy and Eddie Osefo’s Arrests
Dr. and husband Eddie Osefo’s legal troubles appear to be the talk of Potomac.
On October 9, The Real Housewives of Potomac stars made headlines when they were arrested for fraud.
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, a grand jury indicted both Wendy and Eddie for insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and making a false statement to a police officer. The pair were booked in Westminster, Maryland, with bail set at $50,000. They were released the next day.
“Dr. Wendy Osefo and her husband, Edward Osefo, are back home safely with their family and in good spirits. They are grateful for the outpouring of concern and support from friends, fans and colleagues,” a representative for the coupletold Us on October 10. “The Osefos, alongside their legal team, look forward to their day in court. At this time, they respectfully ask for privacy as they focus on their family and the legal process ahead.”
Wendy joined The Real Housewives of Potomac at the beginning of season 5 in 2020. The political commentator and professor often reminds her costars that she holds four degrees.
In fact, Wendy became the first Black woman to earn a PhD from Rutgers University in public affairs and community development.
While it’s unclear whether Wendy’s legal drama will play out on upcoming episodes of The Real Housewives of Potomac, many past and present costars have spoken out about her case. Keep reading to see what her Bravo family has said:
Stacey Rusch
“We’ve been communicating,” Rusch exclusively shared with Us on October 24. “I saw her last week, and it was really good to see her and put my arms around her and to support her, and that’s all I can do right now as her friend and allow her to do the rest.”
Although the former QVC host acknowledged she hasn’t always seen eye to eye with Wendy during filming, she is hoping to be a good friend during an unpredictable time.
“I don’t think that it is news to anyone that following the reunion, we had a complicated relationship, but you will see the ups and downs of our friendship this season,” Rusch teased. “My thoughts and my prayers are with her, and of course, her beautiful family. I hope for the best for her.”
Gizelle Bryant
“I’m so disappointed,” Bryant said on the October 27 episode of her “Reasonably Shady” podcast. “I immediately thought, first of all, huge disappointment. Sad, right, because this is so sad for their children. Guilty or innocent, their parents were removed from their house and brought down to a police station, and charged. They have mugshots. That is, I’m sure, super scary for their children, so sad.”
Ashley Darby
Darby reportedly took aim at Wendy at a public show.
“We’re making melodies, not felonies, if you know what I mean,” she said while performing at Mr. Henry’s in Washington, D.C., on October 10. “I’m just throwing it out there. In case there’s some confusion, that’s what we’re doing around here. That’s all I’m doing here. Just making melodies. This ain’t news to us. This just news to y’all.”
Robyn Dixon
“I am highly shocked, surprised and disappointed by these charges,” Dixon said on the October 27 episode of her “Reasonably Shady” podcast with Bryant.“You’re innocent until proven guilty. If everything in these charging documents is true, I’m highly disappointed, and then I just have so many questions, like, ‘Why?’”
Candiace Dillard Bassett
Hours after Wendy’s arrest made news, her former costar reacted on live TV.
“I am shocked. I’m sad,” Bassett said during an appearance on FOX 5 DC on October 10. The former Bravo star said she was “shaking” while trying to form her thoughts.
“I’m literally just getting this news with you all. … We’re arresting a mother and a father, business owners, entrepreneurs,” she said. “We don’t know what the charges are for but we know that the Osefos have a very successful marijuana business. They are providing jobs and opportunities for people of color in the area, in the DMV. My first thought is, ‘Are they being targeted? Is this something that we should be thinking about?’”
Andy Cohen
“I want to say that like all of you, I found out about the charges against Wendy and Eddie Osefo on Friday morning and there’s not much that I can say,” Cohen said on the October 13 episode of SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live. “I know nothing of the charges more than you guys do, than what I’ve read.”
The Watch What Happens Live host said he was “sad” about the news and admitted to being a “Wendy fan.”
“She has been a great Housewife and a great role model,” he said. “She’s always led with education and her solid family values, and so I’m really thinking about her and her family and I’m certainly hoping that this is all some big nothing.”
Tia Glover
Like many of her cast members, Glover was “shocked” to hear of her costar’s arrest.
“Wendy has been very kind to me and very warm to me on the show. I have a lot of respect for her family. She’s got a beautiful family,” she shared on the November 3 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “It’s very sad. There’s so much we don’t know but I can imagine it’s a very difficult time for her and her children. I think about her children.”
