Fashion Designer Sues Erika Girardi, Secret Service, American Express Over Fraudulent Credit Card Charges

The co-owner of costume merchant Marco Marco has filed a lawsuit against reality TV star Erika Girardi, alleging corruption involving federal law enforcement to benefit Girardi and her husband. The lawsuit accuses Girardi and her assistants of falsely claiming unauthorized charges to American Express and using the Secret Service to maliciously prosecute the co-owner in 2017. The suit also alleges that the Secret Service conducted a reckless investigation and deliberately ignored evidence that would have exonerated the co-owner. The lawsuit draws on an investigation that documented Girardi's friendship with a Secret Service official and the free legal work she provided him. Representatives of the Secret Service and American Express have not yet commented on the lawsuit.