“The Real Housewives of Potomac” star Wendy Osefo and her husband Eddie Osefo were indicted on Oct. 9 in Carroll County, Maryland, on multiple counts of fraud. Following news of the arrest, Bravo postponed the series premiere of “Wife Swap: The Real Housewives” to Oct. 21 (it had been scheduled for Oct. 14). Each episode features an “exchange” between a “Real Housewives” cast member and a member of the public, and Osefo and Eddie Osefo were scheduled to appear in the first episode. “Wife Swap,” which premieres Oct. 21, will feature “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Angie Katsanevas, replacing the Osefoss whose episode has been postponed.
In an emailed statement to Variety, a spokesperson for Wendy Osefo said, “Dr. Wendy Osefo and her husband, Edward Osefo, are home alive and safe with their families. We appreciate the outpouring of concern and support from friends, fans, and colleagues. The Osefos, along with their attorneys, look forward to their day in court. At this time, they respectfully request privacy as they focus on their family.” Legal proceedings are yet to begin. ”
TMZ first reported that the Osephus were arrested on insurance fraud charges. According to court documents from Carroll County, Maryland, obtained by Variety, the indictment alleges that the Osephus falsely claimed to have been robbed in April 2024 and that items from their home, including designer bags and jewelry, were stolen. They then filed three separate insurance claims estimating $450,000 worth of merchandise was stolen, according to documents.
They were charged with slightly different charges. Wendy Osefo was charged with 16 counts, including seven counts of insurance fraud, eight counts of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, and one count of making false statements to a police officer. Eddie Osefo was indicted on a total of 18 counts and was charged with one additional count each of insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.
Investigators appear to have had suspicions since the beginning of the robbery, which the Osephus reported on April 7, 2024. The Osefos claimed they had been in Jamaica but returned to find their “bedroom and both closets ransacked.” The ADT alarm wasn’t going off and the Ring camera wasn’t picking up anything. Investigators subsequently “determined that a number of the items the Osefos claimed were stolen were purchased prior to the alleged robbery and returned to the store for a full refund,” and confirmed that Wendy Osefo posted a photo on April 27, 2024, of herself wearing the ring she claimed was stolen during the robbery.
At a press conference called by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office on Friday afternoon, Sheriff James T. DeWeese provided details of the charges and then took questions. Asked whether Osefo’s status as a reality star influenced the investigation, DeWeese said, “I don’t care if she’s a Real Housewife or a Fake Housewife or whatever. We’re going to treat her the same way, no matter who she is.” DeWeese said he didn’t watch the show and asked a reporter who was there if he watched it. When the reporter mumbled something, DeWeese replied, “You don’t want to admit it? I get it.”
State’s Attorney Haven N. Shoemaker Jr. also attended the press conference and said the Osefos are tentatively scheduled to appear in court on the charges on November 7th. Most felonies carry sentences of up to 15 years.
Wendy Osefo, known in the Bravo sphere as “Dr. Wendy,” joined the cast of Season 5 of The Real Housewives of Potomac, which premiered in August 2020. At the time, she was an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University and a regular commentator on CNN. Over her years on the show, she has been known to reveal once or twice that she has “four degrees.” Bravo paid tribute to Dr. Wendy on its Instagram account in anticipation of the show’s 10th season, which began airing on October 5th.
The Osefos married in 2011 and have three children. Lawyer Eddie Osefo is nicknamed “Happy Eddie” by his fans. Osefo is scheduled to perform at BravoCon in Las Vegas in mid-November, but a spokesperson for the network did not respond to inquiries regarding Osefo’s attendance at the fan convention.
Osefo is not the first member of the “Potomac” cast to face legal trouble. Original cast member Karen Huger was arrested for drunk driving in March 2024, a charge she completely denied throughout the show’s ninth season. She was then convicted in December 2024 and sentenced to a maximum of two years in prison, and was released on September 2nd after serving six months.
Gene Maddaus contributed to this report.
