A reality television star and her husband are facing criminal fraud charges.
“The Real Housewives of Potomac” star Dr. Wendy Osefo and her husband Eddie Osefo, are facing more than a dozen charges, including seven felonies, after they were accused of making false/misleading info fraud in excess of $300. She is also facing a separate misdemeanor count of making a false statement to an officer, TMZ reported.
The Baltimore Banner, a local digital-only news outlet, reported that they were indicted by a Carroll County grand jury on seven counts of insurance fraud, eight counts of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.
Both posted $50,000 bond each and were released.
Police said that the couple claimed they were burglary victims last April when they found their bedroom had been tossed after a trip to Jamaica.
They said designer handbags and jewelry were stolen, but sheriff’s deputies in Carroll County, Maryland, said they saw a social media post in which Wendy Osefo was wearing an allegedly stolen diamond ring after the reported burglary.
Deputies said that several items that the couple said were stolen, but had been returned to stores, “where a full refund was provided prior to the alleged burglary,” TMZ reported. Other items were found inside the home after a search warrant was executed, according to the Banner.
Carroll County Deputy State’s Attorney Melissa Hockensmith said that the couple claimed someone got into the home via a bathroom window on the second floor, but there was no evidence that anyone was on the roof. They also had a home alarm system that did not go off while they were away, the Banner reported.
The couple told their insurance company that personal property valued at $450,000 was taken during the alleged break-in, TMZ reported.
Wendy Osefo joined “The Real Housewives of Potomac” in season 5 and had been cast in “Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition” on Bravo, People magazine reported.
She was a professor at Johns Hopkins University and has been a guest on several cable news outlet shows. Eddie Osefo is an attorney and the founder and CEO of a cannabis brand, according to People magazine.