Candace Dillard said she was “shocked” and “saddened” when she learned that her former “Real Housewives of Potomac” co-star Wendy Osefo had been arrested just before appearing on live TV, and questioned the legitimacy of the arrest.
“My first thought was, are they being targeted? Is this something we should be thinking about?” Dillard, 38, asked Friday on a local Fox show in Washington, D.C.
“I feel like someone is out to get the girls,” she added, referring to fellow RHOP star Karen Huger, who recently served six months in prison for DUI.
Dillard said that “two women who appeared on the same show, the same show that features African-American women in today’s climate where people are being picked up and snatched on the street for frivolous nonsense,” expressed doubts that they were being held in prison.
“I want to see everything before making a final decision,” she said.
Dillard noted that Osefo and Osefo’s husband, Edward “Eddie” Osefo, who was arrested Thursday along with his wife on multiple fraud charges, are “managers” and “entrepreneurs.”
“I don’t know what the charges are, but I do know that the Osefos family is very successful in the marijuana business,” the reality star said. “They provide jobs and opportunities for people of color in the area.”
“I know her family and they are heartbroken,” the reality star added. “I got chills. I’m shaking because I can’t even imagine it.”
Dillard said he spoke to Wendy, 41, “very recently” and that Wendy “never told me anything was wrong.”
Despite the “Drive Back” singer’s theories about why the Osephus are facing criminal charges, authorities have released detailed court documents explaining the charges against the couple.
Investigators claimed Wendy and Eddie lied to police about a home robbery that allegedly occurred during a family vacation in Jamaica in April 2024.
The couple, who married in 2011, are said to have installed an ADT alarm that never went off while on vacation. The company’s Ring cameras reportedly only monitored package deliveries.
In court documents obtained by Us Weekly, investigators said the Osephuses allegedly filed claims with two insurance companies for stolen property, including suspicious claims such as a missing Wendy’s gold diamond commemorative band, which was not reported in the original filing.
Carroll County Sheriff’s Office officials reportedly discovered through social media that Wendy was allegedly wearing the ring and that the Osephus were “in significant debt” at the time.
Police also reportedly discovered that many of the items the couple claimed were stolen were actually purchased before the robbery, returned to their respective stores, and “full refunds were issued prior to the alleged robbery,” according to the report.
Page Six has reached out to Wendy and Eddie’s representatives for comment, but has not received a response. A spokesperson for Bravo, the RHOP network, could not immediately be reached.
Wendy faces a total of 16 charges of insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud over $300, as well as being charged with making a false statement to a police officer. Eddie is also facing similar charges, totaling 18 charges.
Besides being a reality star, Wendy also works as a commentator for CNN and holds multiple college degrees, including a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science. In public service. She also runs her own candle company and co-founded the cannabis lifestyle brand Happy Eddy with her husband in 2023.
A spokesperson exclusively told Page Six on Friday that the Ocefoss each posted $50,000 bail and are in the process of being released.
