By Jessica Wedemeyer
10:00pm PDT, Sep 5, 2023
_
She did… what?
On Aug. 29, 2023, TMZ reported that a costume designer, Chris Psaila, is suing Erika Jayne for allegedly conspiring with Secret Service agents and American Express to weasel her way out of an $800K bill for his products and services.
The designer claims that back in 2014, the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star hired his Marco Marco label to design and create performance looks for her. (The singer-turned-reality star has performed live many times over the years, and her Las Vegas residency show, "Bet It All on Blonde," just opened on Aug. 25.) He says that Erika gave him permission to charge her credit card — an account belonging to her now-estranged husband, Tom Girardi. (Erika — who's said in the past that Tom completely controlled their finances over the course of their marriage of more than two decades — was an authorized user on the account.)
Chris says his relationship with Erika soured when she accused him of fraudulently charging her between $800K and $900K in 2015 and 2016. He claims he delivered on his end of the deal, providing goods and services to her as requested.
Keep reading to discover more…
MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more fun celebrity & entertainment photo galleries and content
_
Chris Psaila claims that Erika Jayne enlisted the Secret Service to help her get out of her nearly $1M bill for performance costumes.
In legal documents obtained by TMZ, the designer alleges that the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star and her now-estranged husband, Tom Girardi, bribed Robert Savage, who was the head of the Secret Service's Los Angeles office at the time, to open an investigation into him and his charges to the pair's credit account.
He also claims that American Express sided with Erika and refunded her and Tom more than $787K for what they claimed were unauthorized charges on Chris's part, without giving him the opportunity to dispute the reality star's allegations.
Chris goes on to allege that American Express told the Secret Service that Erika was a victim and that he made unauthorized charges to her account.
Keep reading for more in the bizarre legal saga…
MORE: Former "Real Housewives" stars: Where are they now?
_
Chris Psaila alleges in legal documents obtained by TMZ that Erika Jayne's now-estranged husband, former attorney Tom Girardi, was friendly with Secret Service agent Robert Savage, who, according to the designer, had a "history of falsely billing for advance presidential location scouting trips." (Chris says that's why Robert ultimately got the boot from the Secret Service.)
He goes on to allege that Tom made this deal with Robert: If Robert had the Secret Service side with Erika in her monetary dispute with Chris and his Marco Marco label, Tom would represent Robert in a lawsuit against Volkswagen. Chris claims Tom and also promised to fork over $100K to Robert.
Chris says that while he was facing prosecution over his charges to Tom and Erika's account, the then-lawyer never disclosed his prior relationship with the Secret Service agent.
It took five years for the court to dismiss the criminal case against Chris, who says he suffered emotional distress and financial harm to his business as a result of the legal matter.
He's suing Erika, American Express, Robert and others for $18.2M… at least!
Keep reading to see how Erika is responding to the lawsuit…
_
Erika Jayne's attorney, Evan Borges, told TMZ in a statement, "It seems calculated that Plaintiff timed this lawsuit to coincide with the rave reviews of Erika's Las Vegas residency opening. Plaintiff's claims against Erika are entirely without merit. Independent federal prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney's Office made the decision to charge plaintiff with crimes, no one else. The notion that Erika controlled the U.S. Government, or for that matter a Fortune 100 company such as American Express, is fantasy."
Keep reading to see how American Express responded to the lawsuit…
_
A rep for American Express released this statement to TMZ:
"In late 2016, federal law enforcement contacted American Express regarding its investigation into fraud by [Chris] Psaila. While it is our policy to not comment on the specific activity on an individual card member's accounts, we followed our regular processes and procedures throughout this investigation as we dealt with law enforcement. We did not initiate the investigation, nor did we proactively contact law enforcement, and the information law enforcement requested from us was typical in fraud investigations. We did not play any role in the criminal investigation of Mr. Psaila or his business other than responding to inquiries from law enforcement."
Keep reading to see how former Secret Service agent Robert Savage responded to the lawsuit…
_
Robert Savage, meanwhile, told TMZ, "I am restricted by a non-disclosure [agreement] when I retired from the U.S. Secret Service to discuss casework during my tenure without their approval, so I would respectfully redirect your questions pertaining to the lawsuit to the USSS Office of Chief Counsel and U.S. Attorneys Office for the Central District of California."
He also shared an old Q&A in which he explained how he became involved in the matter: "Erika [Jayne] called me and advised that she believed a known vendor was making unauthorized AmEx charges on her credit card. She advised that the card was under Tom's control and that he didn't give her access to the statements, but was accusing her of overspending. She advised that she contacted AmEx customer service and that the agent granted her access after recognizing her voice from television. Erika then determined approximately $800K to 900K in fraudulent charges on the AmEx."
He says he then introduced the reality star to agents from the "fraud squad" who "managed the investigation without any involvement from me."
"[She made] a complaint regarding the AmEx Fraud where AmEx suffered the loss and was the victim, not [her]. Erika advised me later that AmEx reimbursed Tom's card for the unauthorized charges. I was unaware of the specific amount and never was directly involved in the investigation nor indictment," the former Secret Service agent said.
