The latest Real Housewife crime

Real Housewives of Potomac star Wendy Osefo is finally breaking the silence surrounding her and her husband Eddie’s shocking arrest earlier this month. 

Yesterday, she shared a post to Instagram thanking fans for their support and of course, promoting the latest episode of the show. 

The pair were hit with numerous fraud charges and spent a night at the Caroll County Detention Center, before posting a combined bail of $100,000. Wendy is facing 16 charges, while Eddie faces 18, ranging from felony counts of insurance fraud; misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud; to a misdemeanor count of making a false statement to a police officer. 

It all stems from a burglary the couple reported to police last April. They told police that while on vacation in Jamaica, their home was burgled. They claimed that jewelry and designer bags were stolen. They  filed two claims with separate insurance companies, signing legal documents that alleged they had lost nearly half a million dollars in property theft and property damage.

According to media reports, the police were doubtful about the account given to them by the Osefos, so it didn’t help that Wendy was seen in a photograph wearing one of the rings she claimed was stolen in the alleged burglary. And the fact that police determined that a number of the items the pair claimed were stolen had actually been returned for a full refund.

The shock value of this particular arrest stems mostly from the fact that Wendy, up until this point at least, gave no indication that she was up to anything untoward. She frequently appeared on major news platforms as a political commentator, is a published author, a CEO, holds four degrees, and had a successful career as a university professor. Following her arrest, there were reports that Wesleyan University cut ties with her, but a rep for her insists she initiated her departure before any news of the arrest came to be. This is all stuff that she boasts proudly in her Instagram bio - and everywhere else she can. 

In addition to that, she and Eddie have proven to be savvy businesspeople. When Eddie was accused of being flirtatious with a woman on the show, earning his alleged flirty alter ego nickname Happy Eddie, the couple turned that into a business opportunity and began growing a cannabis empire under the same name. By all accounts, it seems to be doing well.

But on the other hand, long-time fans of reality TV can attest to the fact that this is not the first, nor will it be the last, case of a Housewives cast member being arrested and investigated for fraud. So why do many fraudsters get exposed through their time on this particular franchise?

Social media users have been having a field day with this. People have been resharing clips of Wendy dragging her former castmate Robyn Dixon, who faced her fair share of financial troubles on camera. Clips of Wendy critiquing Karen Huger, who was recently released from prison after being sentenced for driving under the influence and other alcohol-related charges, have also been resurfacing. And while some are trying to rationalize how this couple had this much of a fall from grace, others say it makes complete sense, suggesting that the only reason it’s such a spectacle is due to the pedestal they placed themselves on, which speaks to a larger theme we see on these shows. 

I don’t think it’s possible to be cast on a show like this if you don’t have an inflated ego. And while we’ve seen a few humble housewives over the years (think Eileen Davidson, Jeana Keough, and maybe Carole Radziwill), for the most part, fans want the real estate porn, we want the nice cars and lavish events. We want the outfits and the glam. But inherently, that pressure can really mount for the women and their partners, who may not be full-time cast members, but certainly play a role in how their girlfriends or wives, and ultimately, their families are perceived. That’s why we see so many couples go down together.

Angela Angotti, an entertainment attorney, told Page Six it all goes back to the contract, which makes it clear that the stars of these shows are voiceless when it comes to the edit they receive:

“To sign that you have to think, ‘Well, that’s not going to happen to me,’ or ‘The audience is going to like me. And [then] you’re constantly like, ‘Is someone looking at me? Are they paying attention to me? Do I have nicer things than this other person?’ I think it’s a lot of keeping up with the Joneses. But then it becomes harder.”

The most notable Real Housewives couple to fall from grace is Teresa Guidice and her ex-husband Joe, who, back in 2015 and 2016, ended up serving prison sentences after being convicted of fraud and tax offences. 

More recently, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah was arrested in 2021 and is gearing up for release after she was sentenced to prison for running a multi-state telemarketing scheme that targeted the elderly. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne faced allegations of fraud amid her husband Tom Girardi’s extensive legal battles related to the misappropriation of funds that were meant for the families of victims of a plane crash. And Real Housewives of Orange County OG Vicki Gunvalson also faced similar charges, but in both her and Erika’s cases, the charges were dismissed. 

When it comes to home invasions and burglaries, its actually quite common, particularly in the wealthy areas where a lot of these housewives reside. Kyle Richards was very open about all that she lost in a 2018 burglary – which included over $1 million in jewelry, handbags and watches, plus invaluable family heirlooms.

"Everything was taken. Everything my mother, who passed away, had ever collected and saved to give to me — that I had always envisioned of passing on to my four daughters — was gone. Even my children's baby bracelets. Obviously, those are the things that hurt the most, things that I can't replace. They're completely invaluable," she said following the break-in.

And when Kyle’s Beverly Hills co-star Dorit Kemsley revealed she and her children were inside her house during a home invasion, it became a major storyline. It also prompted speculation about the validity of the incident, with castmate Garcelle Beauvais, along with some fans, theorizing that it may have been staged, which to this day, has not been proven.

Sometimes the fraud isn’t even financial. Real Housewives of Orange County fans may recall Vicki’s love interest, Brooks Ayers, who faked a cancer diagnosis. His reasoning? Being the ‘subject of much ridicule and hate’, according to a statement he gave to PEOPLE back in 2016.

"Through the first five years of dating Vicki, I was coined as a con man, low life, gold digger, dead beat, etc. Nothing could be further from the truth in reality, yet this alone makes for great TV and for controversy," he said.

Saying he wasn’t a con man while admitting to faking cancer may be questionable, but his point about all of this making for great TV is absolutely correct, hence Wendy using a post she knows will get a lot of traction to promote the latest episode of the show, even though we all know we won’t see a lick of her arrest on this season. 

But I know how this is going to play out. I can just see the trailer for the season featuring the rest of her castmates reacting to the news. The buzzing phones, the women meeting up to discuss the scandal – it’s going to be a theatrical masterpiece.

In that way, it trivializes the severity of the crimes being committed. If anyone in my family or social circle was facing over a dozen charges of any kind, let alone insurance fraud, I would be mortified on their behalf. But when it’s a reality star, there’s almost an air of comedy that surrounds it. 

“The personalities of people who are attracted to being on reality TV seem to have the same sort of optimism bias that people who think they can get away with crimes have,” Angela Agnotti told Page Six.

With every looming trial, we often hear that the judges intend to ‘make an example’ out of whoever’s turn it is in the hot seat. But one look at Karen’s extensive DUI history or the mere damage that was done by Jen’s telemarketing scheme tells you otherwise. Karen only ever received a one-year suspended sentence along with five years of probation and a one-year driving ban – and she didn’t even serve the full thing. She got an early release and is already out enjoying her freedom again. And despite getting handed a six-and-a-half-year sentence, it’s been repeatedly reduced and she’s on track to be released next August, despite only beginning her sentence in February of 2023.

So it’s no wonder that Housewives are increasingly having the bravado to commit some of the crimes they do. If the heinous nature of a potentially deadly DUI and targeting the elderly still isn’t enough to garner stricter sentences that are served in full, we can expect to see a lot more of the aftermath of crimes unfolding on reality TV. And all of it has become a trainwreck that we can’t seem to look away from.