Wendy Osefo Resigns from Wesleyan University amid Fraud Charges

Dr. Wendy Osefo is no longer a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Wesleyan University following her arrest on fraud charges.

In a statement to PEOPLE on Tuesday, Oct. 14, a spokesperson for The Real Housewives of Potomac star, 41, clarified that Osefo was not fired.

“Contrary to recent media reports, Dr. Wendy Osefo was not terminated from a faculty position at Wesleyan University. She formally submitted her letter of resignation prior to any public announcement made by the university,” Osefo’s rep tells PEOPLE.

“Dr. Osefo made the voluntary decision to step down from her role. This decision was made independently and communicated directly to the university before any external reports surfaced,” the statement adds.

Wesleyan University confirmed Osefo’s resignation, telling PEOPLE, “Wendy Osefo is no longer an employee of Wesleyan University. She resigned from her position.”

Osefo and her husband Eddie Osefo were arrested and booked on 16 charges of fraud last week, the Westminster Police Department previously confirmed to PEOPLE.

The couple, who have since been released, are parents to sons Karter, 12, Kruz, 10, and daughter Kamrynn, 6.

The Bravo star previously stepped down as an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University during RHOP season 9 to focus on her family, and later announced her role as Distinguished Visiting Professor at Wesleyan University, where she launched a Sociology of Reality TV course in November 2024.

At the time, Wendy spoke with Black Enterprise on how the college course came to be.

“I just started writing and writing and one sentence led to two and then two sentences led to four pages. And then eventually I had all of these pages where I was like, I want to do a class. And I wrote up a class and it’s titled The Sociology of Reality TV,” the political commentator, who has appeared on networks like CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News, said.

She also spoke highly of her relationship with Wesleyan University as she reflected on past teaching positions where she “didn’t feel appreciated.”

“I didn’t feel like people saw the value in what I brought to the institution, but for Wesleyan, as much prestige as they have, to see me and to say, ‘Not only do we want you, but we want you to have the title of Distinguished Professor,’ I was like, this is a sign,” Wendy said in the November 2024 interview.

In April of that same year, deputies responded to a call reporting burglary and theft at the Osefo’s home. 

Wendy and Eddie claimed approximately 80 pieces of jewelry, luxury goods, clothing and shoes, worth more than $200,000, were stolen while they were on vacation in Jamaica.

However, in an Oct. 10 press release, the Carrol County Sheriff’s Office said “detectives found that over $20,000 of items reported stolen had been returned by the owners to the locations the items were purchased. Further, detectives found images of a homeowner wearing jewelry that had been reported stolen after the burglary took place.”

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A representative for the couple told PEOPLE that day that the Osefos were “back home safely with their family” and “look forward to their day in court.”