"Real Housewives of Potomac" star Wendy Osefo, husband arrested for alleged insurance fraud in Maryland
"Real Housewives of Potomac" star Wendy Osefo and her husband are facing insurance fraud charges after reporting a fake burglary in Maryland, the Carroll County Sheriff's Office said Friday.
Wendy, 40, and Edward Osefo, 41, were both released on bail Friday after being indicted on multiple charges related to the alleged fake burglary, officials said.
According to Bravo TV, which airs "The Real Housewives of the Potomac," Wendy Osefo is a professor, political analyst and entrepreneur who was born in Nigeria and immigrated to Maryland. The network said the couple has been married for 14 years.
Fake burglary reported
Troopers responded to the couple's home in the 1900 block of Turnberry Court in Finksburg on April 7, 2024, for a burglary reported by Edward, officials said.
According to officials, the couple lives at the address with their three school-aged children. The reality show "Real Housewives of Potomac" is partly filmed at the residence.
Officials said the couple reported that their home was burglarized between April 2 and April 7 while they were on vacation in Jamaica. They told law enforcement that designer handbags and jewelry worth more than $200,000 were stolen from an upstairs bedroom.
Troopers worked with investigators in the Major Crime Unit due to the dollar amount of the stolen items, according to Carroll County Sheriff James DeWees.
Investigation into reported burglary
Officials said the home had an indoor and outdoor surveillance system that did not pick up any motion or indicate that anyone breached the location. Surveillance cameras from neighbors also did not show any suspicious activity, officials said.
Despite the investigation, troopers did not find any signs of forced entry, footprints or fingerprints at the home to suggest a burglary took place.
According to officials, the Osefos claimed the burglar came through a second-story window in the master bedroom. However, there was no evidence to suggest a person attempted to get through.
Officials said the upstairs bedroom was ransacked, and a mattress was thrown from the bed to the floor, indicating that a burglary had occurred.
In the days after the reported burglary, officials said the Osefos contacted the sheriff's office several times to provide more information about missing items. They also reported the losses to their insurance companies.
However, weeks after the burglary, officials discovered that Wendy had posted on social media wearing a piece of jewelry that matched an item that she reported as stolen: a diamond anniversary band.
"We had become suspicious that this was a false claim," DeWees said.
Alleged insurance fraud
Investigators requested a warrant for the couple's email accounts, where they found evidence to indicate the reported burglary was fraudulent.
According to DeWees, one particular email from Edward to Wendy read in part, "Are there additional high-value items we can add to this inventory list. I'm trying to get the total to exceed $423,000, which is our policy maximum."
Through the investigation, officials also discovered that some of the items reported stolen had been returned to their respective retailers within 90 days of being purchased in 2018. Receipts for those returned items were provided to law enforcement during the investigation, DeWees said.
"It became clear that the Osefos had fabricated the burglary and filed a false report in an attempt to defraud their insurance company," DeWees alleged.
Wendy and Edward were subsequently arrested on Oct. 9, and a search of their home revealed 15 items that officials believe were reported stolen during the initial crime report, including high-end jewelry and handbags.
"Some folks may view insurance fraud as an innocuous crime, since it only affects insurance companies. That's certainly not true at all," said Carroll County State's Attorney Haven Shoemaker. "Insurance fraud affects all of us in the form of increased premiums that we all bear."