‘RHOP’ star Wendy Osefo accuses police of ‘illegal arrest’ as she demands fraud charges be dismissed
Dr. Wendy Osefo demanded that her fraud charges be dismissed in a recent filing.
The “Real Housewives of Potomac” star, who was arrested alongside husband Eddie Osefo on Oct. 9, accused the police of an “illegal arrest” the following week, in court documents obtained by Us Weekly.
Not only did the Bravolebrity, 41, insist on Oct. 17 that there were “defects in the charging document,” but she claimed all evidence should be “suppressed because of an unlawful search or seizure.”
Wendy demanded the same of wire and verbal communications due to an allegedly “unlawful interception,” also claiming that “unlawfully obtained … admissions, statements or confessions” should not be allowed as evidence.
She requested that the “trial of co-defendants be severed from the trial[s] of this Defendant,” referencing Eddie’s charges.
In a separate filing, Wendy’s lawyer asked prosecutors for all alleged evidence, a list of witnesses, polygraph results of witnesses, the names of any confidential informants and copies of police reports.
Wendy and Eddie, 41, spent one night at Maryland’s Carroll County Detention Center earlier this month before posting a combined total bail of $100,000.
The reality star was indicted on 16 charges — seven felony counts of insurance fraud, eight misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and one misdemeanor count of making a false statement to a police officer.
Her partner, for his part, was charged with the same, plus two more felony counts of insurance fraud.
The charges dated back to an alleged 2024 home burglary, from which the couple claimed to insurance companies they experienced $450,000 in property loss and $2,500 in property damage.
An investigation, however, has cast doubt on whether the robbery took place at all, in part due to numerous items the pair claimed were stolen being returned for refunds before the alleged burglary.
Wendy was also caught on camera wearing one of the rings she claimed was stolen.
At the time, Wendy and Eddie were “burdened by substantial debt.”
Their rep recently told Page Six Wendy and Osefo were “in good spirits” and looking “forward to their day in court.”
Wendy broke her silence via social media over the weekend.
“And through it all, GOD remains faithful,” she wrote Sunday. “Thank you for the outpouring of love, support, and prayers for myself and most importantly my family during this time. We are forever grateful.”
The political commentator concluded by requesting fans tune into that evening’s episode of “RHOP.”
Eddie, for his part, posted a Bible verse reading, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.’ Proverbs 3:5-6.”
DWTS to bring in big changes next season including all-new ‘modern’ fan voting process
DANCING With the Stars plans on bringing some big shakeups to the ballroom next season – including a change that will give the show a more ‘modern’ spin, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal.
The big shift comes off of season 34’s historic year, which included a record-high number of over 50 million fans voting from home.
With the increase in voting, which was up 11% from the previous week, ABC executives have been weighing the options of how they can lean even more into the process.
Currently, the main way to vote for DWTS contestants and the pros is by texting the celebrity’s name to the code 21523.
However, production is looking into how they can implement more modern technology, such as social media, into the process.
“While this season has seen an increase in ratings and votes, execs are looking into how they can modernize their voting process.
READ MORE ON DWTS
“As of right now, they do it old school with texting a number to vote for a celeb.
“The execs have been adamant about integrating things like social media into the voting process, specifically TikTok.
“It hasn’t been ironed out yet, but they’re trying to make voting more accessible and want it to reach a wider audience for season 35,” the source claimed.
In addition to texting, viewers can also go to dwtsvote.abc.com; however, the majority of the votes still come from texting.
Currently, voting is limited to 10 votes per person and per method of voting.
Voting is also only allowed during the window the show airs live on the East Coast and varies by time zone, which is regularly encouraged by show hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro.
While voting has always been done primarily by text messaging, the time window is a more recent change to the show.
In 2019, DWTS implemented the current protocol of voting only being allowed during the live East Coast feed – meaning those in other time zones wouldn’t get to vote when their show aired.
DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba slammed by two furious pros for ‘unfair’ critiques after fans call for her to be fired
While the move was labeled as “unfair” by many, the show has continued with the method.
BALLROOM BUST?
The current season of DWTS has been a huge success for ABC and Disney – but it has not been met without its fair share of drama.
Throughout the season, the judging panel has been called out by both the pros and by viewers at home for low scores and harsh comments towards select contestants.
Fans have also accused judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough of “overscoring” their “favorite” contestants, including The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Whitney Leavitt.
Things have apparently gotten to the point where members of the show felt the need to confront production over the direction it’s heading.
“There are a handful of pros, both some who are still on the show and some who have already been eliminated, who are fed up with how they are being treated.
“Some feel the judges have been harsher than they needed to be to them, which not only impacts scores, but it also impacts how the at-home viewers see the season.
“It impacts who they vote for and who they want to watch week by week.
“Other pros like Alan and Pasha feel extra protective of their partners and feel the judges have been too harsh on them.
“Multiple pros have stepped up to meet with production over the judges’ bias and are demanding some kind of change and more fairness moving forward.
“What that change looks like is still to be determined, but they at least got the conversation rolling,” a source claimed.
Dancing With the Stars season 34 airs on Tuesdays at 8pm EST on ABC and is available to stream the following day on Disney+ and Hulu.
