The stars of the The Real Housewives franchise haven’t had the best luck when it comes to legal issues, and federal sentencing strategist Joseph De Gregorio broke down the “four systemic reasons” why he believes Bravo stars have committed fraud crimes while speaking to investigative reporter Kristin Thorne for Us Weekly’s Uncovered.
The Real Housewives of Potomac stars Wendy Osefo and Eddie Osefo were arrested on insurance fraud charges after they claimed their home was robbed in 2024, though they aren’t the first stars from the franchise to find themselves in legal trouble. The Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Teresa Giudice was found guilty on fraud charges in 2014, while The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’s Jen Shah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for a large-scale telemarketing scheme in 2022.
In light of the arrests, De Gregorio explained that there are “four systemic reasons” why reality stars have been known to have legal trouble regarding money.
“First is the performance trap. These women get paid maybe a hundred to $200,000 per season, but they have to look like they’re making millions. Every scene requires a designer everything, and the pressure to maintain that illusion on a salary that can’t afford it, that’s where fraud begins,” he said.
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The second reason is the problem of “public evidence.” De Gregorio said, “Wendy Osefo handed federal prosecutors their case on a silver platter. She’s wearing the stolen jewelry on Instagram. Teresa from [The Real Housewives of New Jersey] was flaunting assets on Bravo while claiming bankruptcy in court. The FBI doesn’t need wiretaps anymore. They just need a DVR and a social media account.”
As for the third factor, De Gregorio said that many reality stars believe they are invincible and won’t get caught in their schemes. “Fame makes people reckless,” he said. “Jen Shah literally ran from federal agents on camera while filming [The] Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. She spent two years claiming innocence, then abruptly pleaded guilty when she realized the evidence was overwhelming.”
De Gregorio concluded the topic with the factor of “family devastation,” pointing out that many of the Bravo stars have children and spouses. Despite having families, he said that the TV personalities “can’t defraud people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars and then say, ‘But I’m a mom’ and expect that to erase the crime.”
He also noted that “judges see right through that immediately.”
“The pattern’s gonna keep repeating until cast members understand that federal prosecutors don’t care that you’re on Bravo or your TV contract won’t protect you from federal indictment,” De Gregorio said.
The Osefos’ case is ongoing, and they have pleaded not guilty to the fraud charges. Meanwhile, Giudice, 53, and her ex-husband, Joe Giudice, pleaded guilty to fraud charges in 2014. She was sentenced to 15 months in prison, and he was given a sentence of 41 months in prison.
As for Shah, 52, she was sentenced to serve 78 months in prison. She reported to prison in February 2023 and was released early in December 2025.
