A recent lawsuit has taken an intriguing twist, alleging that former Secret Service agent Robert Savage conspired with “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Erika Jayne in pursuing false credit card fraud charges against Jayne’s former costume designer, Christopher Psaila.
The lawsuit, filed in California, claims that Jayne submitted false refund requests on her American Express card, while her husband, Tom Girardi, purportedly bribed Savage to instigate a criminal investigation against Psaila, amounting to an US$18 million legal battle.
Text messages purportedly linking Savage to Hunter Biden were reportedly discovered in the laptop archive of the President’s son, as reported by the New York Post. However, Savage’s attorney has vehemently denied any communication or interaction between his client and Hunter Biden.
According to Psaila’s lawsuit, Jayne allegedly collaborated with an American Express employee to secure a refund exceeding US$787,000 for Psaila’s services without allowing him the opportunity to contest her claims. The lawsuit asserts that the costume designer provided services to Jayne totaling between US$800,000 and US$900,000 between 2015 and 2016 and had permission to charge her credit card accordingly.
Although Girardi is not named as a defendant in this case, the lawsuit suggests that he bribed Savage by representing him in a civil lawsuit against Volkswagen and paying him US$7,500 as compensation for his damages. It’s noteworthy that Girardi is currently disbarred and facing federal charges in both Chicago and Los Angeles for allegedly embezzling client funds, as reported by the New York Post.
The lawsuit also alleges that Secret Service agents provided Jayne with a recording device in an attempt to coax Psaila into making incriminating statements, even without probable cause to give her the recorder. However, Psaila insists that he did not admit to any wrongdoing in the recorded conversation.
The lawsuit’s text reads, “Defendants AMEX and Grimm Aided, Abetted and Conspired with Defendants Erika Girardi, Ribatallada, Minden, and Secret Service Defendants Savage, Scarince, and Henderson to Maliciously Prosecute Plaintiff without Probable Cause and in Reckless Disregard of the Evidence in Their Possession Establishing No Fraud Occurred and that Plaintiff Was Innocent”.
Psaila was charged with federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in 2017 following an aggressive investigation by Secret Service agents. His case was ultimately dismissed in 2021, but the baseless accusations nearly led to the collapse of his business and inflicted personal hardship.
In response to the lawsuit, Jayne’s attorney emphasized, “Independent federal prosecutors at the US Attorney’s Office made the decision to charge plaintiff with crimes, no one else. The notion that Erika controlled the US Government, or for that matter a Fortune 100 company such as American Express, is fantasy”.
