Erika Jayne Accused Of Extortion In New Lawsuit By Designer

Erika Jayne's aspirations of becoming a Vegas showgirl might take a backseat due to some legal troubles.

The television personality, who recently introduced her Las Vegas residency titled "Bet It All On Blonde," is facing a lawsuit from a costume merchant. He claims she was part of a fraud scheme against him, as outlined in a lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on Tuesday.

As per court documents obtained by Page Six, Christopher Psaila, co-owner of Hollywood costume firm Marco Marco, has accused Jayne and her estranged husband, Tom Girardi, of employing the Secret Service to unfairly pursue legal action against him in 2017. This was purportedly done with the intention of obtaining an almost $800,000 refund from American Express.

Psaila asserts that the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star had previously authorized him and his store to make charges to her credit card for costumes he both created and supplied for her performances. 

According to the lawsuit, he claims that the "Pretty Mess" singer and her two assistants were fully aware that they had legitimately purchased costumes and services from him and his company.

However, the designer declares that they deliberately misrepresented the situation to both federal agents and the credit card company, falsely asserting that the charges made to her card were unauthorized.

Going further, Psaila states that the Secret Service conducted an irresponsible investigation into the claims made by Jayne and her team, deliberately overlooking crucial facts that could have cleared his name. 

His lawsuit further alleged that certain current and former Secret Service agents, including Robert Savage, Kenneth Henderson, and Steve Scarince, intentionally suppressed evidence that could have resulted in his acquittal during a trial or prevented his indictment. The 70-page suit partially explains:

"This case reflects the corruption of the federal judicial system. The Secret Service and [the] United States should have never presented the case to the grand jury for indictment, and never proceeded with the prosecution."

Even though Savage, the former head of the Secret Service's Los Angeles office has denied being involved with the 52-year-old and Girardi, Psaila maintains that he was bribed to initiate a criminal investigation and press charges against him. 

Additionally, he points out that he was unable to dispute the reality star's assertions that her credit card had been charged without her consent. He claims that American Express [AMEX] refunded over $787,000 to the estranged couple, and supposedly informed the Secret Service that the pop star was a victim of fraud.

It is worth noting here that the plaintiff, who asserted his innocence, faced a nine-count indictment, including charges of aggravated identity theft and wire fraud, in 2017. However, four years later, federal prosecutors decided to drop the case against him.

A spokesperson for American Express [AMEX] subsequently clarified to the Los Angeles Times that the company was not responsible for initiating the criminal investigation against Psaila. They expressed at the time:

"We followed our regular processes and procedures throughout this investigation as we dealt with law enforcement … We did not play any role in the criminal investigation of Mr. Psaila or his business other than responding to inquiries from law enforcement."

Earlier this week, fans showed their displeasure when Jayne uploaded a nude picture depicting her upper body. As The Blast reported, the reality star had posed for a photoshoot with some of the images featuring her in form-fitting dresses that highlighted her significant weight loss. 

Nevertheless, the standout shot came in a solo slide and it showcased her using her arm and large silver bracelets to cover her breasts. She complemented the sultry view with heavy eye makeup and oversized hoop earrings, allowing her platinum blonde hair to cascade over one side of her face.

Despite garnering nearly 20,000 likes since its posting, the photos also stirred a negative response in the comments section. While one commenter told her that she did not really need to be nude to get people interested," another her to "take this pic down!" 

A critical voice questioned, "Need attention, do we?" and a fourth declared, "I'm sorry Erica, this is just wrong. No no no, girl."