The stars of Bravo’s “Real Housewives” franchise have been known to stir up drama on camera. For a few, however, their offscreen behavior has led to arrests and even prison time.
Wendy Osefo of “The Real Housewives of Potomac” is the latest cast member to get in trouble with the law since the first installment of the reality television franchise, “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” hit the airwaves in 2006.
Osefo, who appears in the 10th season of the Potomac edition, and her husband, Edward, were indicted on fraud charges in October. The case has been a hot topic among fans and cast members, and with the Bravo host Andy Cohen, an executive producer of the series who presides over reunion shows for each season.
Here is more on Osefo, plus a look at some of the legal problems that other “Real Housewives” personalities have faced over the years.
Wendy Osefo
In April 2024, Wendy and Edward Osefo reported to the police in Westminster, Md., that thieves had broken into and ransacked their home, stealing expensive jewelry and designer handbags while the couple were on vacation in Jamaica, according to court records.
The Osefos filed insurance claims for the items, which they said were worth $450,000, plus damages to the house, prosecutors said.
But an investigation found that “numerous items” that the Osefos said had been stolen had been “returned to the store where a full refund was provided prior to the alleged burglary,” prosecutors said in court documents. Wendy Osefo, 41, later shared a photograph of herself on social media in which she is wearing a $4,500 diamond anniversary ring that was among the items she had reported stolen, prosecutors said in court documents.
The Osefos were indicted on several counts of fraud. If convicted, each faces up to 15 years in prison and $100,000 in fines, prosecutors said.
The couple, who are expected to appear in court in separate hearings later this month, shared a statement from their legal team in November.
“At the outset, police failed to properly investigate the initial burglary despite clear indications of a break-in, displaying clear bias against the Osefo family,” the statement said. “It is common knowledge that other Real Housewives cast members have also been victimized after documenting their travel on social media, yet none faced this level of scrutiny or criminal charges.”
Karen Huger
Karen Huger, an original cast member of “The Real Housewives of Potomac,” was released from prison in September after serving six months of a two-year sentence for driving under the influence of alcohol and other driving violations. Her struggle with alcohol is a story line on the show, which takes place in the affluent Maryland suburbs northwest of Washington, D.C.
After her arrest in March 2024, a jury found Ms. Huger, 62, guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol, driving while impaired by alcohol, negligent driving, failure to control speed to avoid a collision, and failure to notify the authorities of an address change.
In November, Huger, who is known to viewers as the “Grande Dame,” appeared at “Bravo Con,” an annual fan and celebrity conference, where a trailer for the show’s season finale was revealed.
“Time to talk about my addiction,” Huger says in the clip.
Jennifer Shah
Jennifer Shah of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” was released nearly four years early from a minimum-security federal prison camp in Texas on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. She was sentenced in January 2023 to six and a half years in prison for her involvement in a telemarketing scheme that defrauded thousands of victims.
Prosecutors said she used the scheme to support a luxury lifestyle, which included a rented apartment in Midtown Manhattan, a leased Porsche Panamera, and a rented 9,420-square-foot mansion, which she referred to as the “Shah ski chalet,” in Park City, Utah.
Her criminal case figured prominently on the Salt Lake City edition of the franchise, which debuted in 2020 and follows an affluent group of women in the city, which is home to the headquarters for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As part of her sentence, Shah, 52, was ordered to pay about $6.6 million in restitution and forfeit $6.5 million and 30 luxury items, including designer handbags and jewelry, prosecutors said.
Teresa Giudice
In 2014, Teresa Giudice of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” and her first husband, Giuseppe Giudice, known as Joe, were sentenced to prison in Federal District Court in Newark on conspiracy and bankruptcy fraud charges.
Ms. Giudice was given a 15-month sentence, and Mr. Giudice was given 41 months, or nearly three and a half years.
At her sentencing hearing, Teresa Giudice told a judge, “I fully take responsibility for my actions,” according to The Associated Press.
Earlier that year, the couple had pleaded guilty to hiding assets from bankruptcy creditors and submitting false applications to get about $5 million in mortgages and construction loans. Joe Giudice also pleaded guilty to failing to pay taxes totaling more than $200,000.
After serving 11 months, Teresa Giudice was released from a low-security federal prison in Connecticut and returned as a cast member on the show. Joe Giudice was released in March 2019 after serving his full sentence, according to Bravo.
Since then, she has appeared with her daughter Gia on “Next Gen NYC,” a Bravo “Real Housewives” spinoff that features the grown children of popular cast members and on the Fox military survival show “Special Forces.”
Shannon Beador
In 2023,
Shannon Beador of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” in California began serving a three-year probation term after pleading no contest in connection with a D.U.I. hit-and-run in which she crashed into a property in Newport, Calif., according to court documents.
In addition to probation, Beador was sentenced to community service and a nine-month alcohol program, and was fined $390.
In May, Beador, 61, was pulled over and cited for “driving while operating a hand held wireless telephone or electronic wireless communications device,” court records show.
In July, Beador returned for her show’s 19th season. She also appeared in Bravo’s new “Housewives” spinoff show “Love Hotel” earlier this year.
Derrick Bryson Taylor contributed reporting.
Johnny Diaz is a reporter for The Times covering breaking news from Miami.
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