Then there’s Phaedra Parks from the popular Atlanta iteration of the show. Her then-husband Apollo Nida pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail, wire and bank fraud in May 2014, according to US Magazine. He spent 96 months in prison, only to be arrested nine days after his release on parole violations.

Currently however, two Real Housewives stars are embroiled in their own scandals, making global headlines. Both Erika Girardi, more commonly known as Erika Jayne from Beverly Hills, and Jen Shah from Salt Lake City, are facing intense public scrutiny and potentially damning legal allegations.

What are the two housewives being accused of? And whose legal woes are worse? We break down their individual cases.

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Erika Jayne’s husband is being accused of fraud and embezzlement

The phrase “orphans and widows” has been repeated throughout the season by many of Jayne’s castmates in response to the shocking nature of Girardi’s alleged crimes and the victims who bore the brunt of his alleged fraudulent activities.

Added to this, Girardi’s firm, Girardi & Keese, transferred about US$20 million to Jayne’s company to help fund her entertainment career. Moreover, the fact that Jayne filed for divorce not long before all of these allegations came to light have raised further questions about how involved Jayne was in all of this and how much she knew of Girardi’s dealings.

According to E! Online, the lawsuit against Girardi alleges that Jayne’s divorce was “simply a sham attempt to fraudulently protect Tom and Erika’s money from those that seek to collect on debts owed by Tom and his law firm GK”.

Recently, to add to Jayne’s troubles, the trustees overseeing Girardi’s firm’s bankruptcy case have sued Jayne for US$25 million. Jayne has more or less denied any involvement and/or knowledge of her husband’s alleged wrongdoings.

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Jen Shah’s arrest

Hearing Shah’s descriptions of her business, which she claims centers around “monetisation”, can get somewhat confusing and difficult to understand. Shah apparently owns several businesses and marketing initiatives, which “do direct response marketing”. In an interview with Bustle in November 2020, she claimed she was “like the Wizard of Oz, the person behind the curtain that nobody sees, but nobody knows how things are working”.

Simply put, it’s alleged that Shah’s companies sold “leads” (personal details of unsuspecting victims) to other companies within the scheme. Shah, along with co-conspirators, is accused of defrauding hundreds of people for millions of dollars. A large portion of the alleged victims were elderly individuals who presumably fell prey to the vast telemarketing scheme.

Flaunting and flexing

While there are undoubtedly major differences between the two stars’ cases, there are some alarming parallels to which viewers have been privy. Comparisons have been drawn to the ways in which both women have openly and proudly flaunted their wealth, lavish lifestyles and pricey possessions.

Watching scenes of both of the current series, in which walk-in wardrobes and expensive outfits have been openly displayed, have left many viewers cringing at the allegedly unscrupulous source of the money that bought these things.

Additionally, both women have had these real-life dramas play out in real-time on the shows. Although this has not been favourable for them, it’s certainly added to the shows’ captivating storylines … and the positive ratings.

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So what next?

Perhaps the most significant difference between the two scandalous stories is that Jen Shah, if found guilty, could be facing a possible combined maximum sentence of up to 50 years for both charges.

On the other hand however, while Jayne has been sued for US$25 million, as per Cohen on a recent episode of his Sirius XM’s Radio Andy podcast, she has not been charged with a crime. Her husband has.

So, what will ultimately happen to the two embattled reality TV stars? Only time and the outcomes of their respective legal proceedings will tell.