‘Real Housewives of Potomac’ alum Mia Thornton arrested and accused of stealing $11K in furniture
Former “Real Housewives of Potomac” star Mia Thornton was arrested Wednesday and accused of having stolen thousands of dollars’ worth of furniture from a rental property, according to authorities.
Thornton, 40, was arrested at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport after officers responded to a wanted person call at the airport’s Customs and Border Protection office, the Atlanta Police Department said in a statement. She was arrested on a charge of felony theft by taking, according to online jail records.
Thornton was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Fulton County Jail for processing. Police said she has an active city of Atlanta warrant in connection with larceny involving an alleged furniture theft.
Mia Thornton during season nine of “The Real Housewives of Potomac.”Clifton Prescod / Bravo via Getty Images file
A police incident report says Thornton and a man, identified as Jared McGriff, suddenly moved out of her rental apartment in the middle of the night on Oct. 28. The report alleges the pair “took all of the furniture which was in the unit prior to their move in as well as the tv which was on the wall.” The landlord reported that the furniture and TV cost a total of $11,000, according to the report.
It does not appear that McGriff has been arrested, and he has not been listed as an inmate in Fulton County. Thornton and McGriff did not immediately reply to requests for comment, and it is unclear whether they have lawyers.
Bravo, which is owned and operated by NBC News’ parent company, NBCUniversal, did not respond to a request for comment.
Body camera video of Thornton shortly after she was detained shows an officer approach Thornton in what appears to be a holding cell and ask her whether she knew what the warrant for her arrest was for.
Thornton nods and says, “Yes.”
The officer then says he’s going to take Thornton to a different holding cell before he places her in handcuffs.
Thornton then appears to start crying in the video.
As she is being walked through the airport in handcuffs, she asks officers in the video whether she could contact an unidentified person about a storage key.
“I just want him to go put the furniture back,” she says in the video. “Enough is enough.”
“This is ridiculous,” she adds.
Thornton starred in “The Real Housewives of Potomac,” which follows the lives of seven women living in the Washington, D.C., area, from 2021 to 2025.
Her arrest makes her the latest Bravo celebrity to be accused of misconduct.
In 2014, “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Teresa Giudice and her husband, Joe Giudice, were sentenced to federal prison after they pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges.
In 2023, “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jen Shah was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison and ordered to forfeit $6,500,000 and dozens of luxury items in restitution after she pleaded guilty to running a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme.
In June, Tom Girardi — the husband of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Erika Jayne — was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison for embezzling millions of dollars from former clients.
Thornton’s arrest also comes just weeks after her former “RHOP” co-stars were in the news in connection with allegations of criminal activity.
“RHOP” star Karen Huger — who is known by fans as the “Grand Dame” — served a one-year sentence at a Maryland prison for driving under the influence. She was released from prison in September.
“RHOP” Wendy Osefo and her husband were arrested last month and accused of falsely reporting a home burglary. Authorities said they found images of Osefo wearing jewelry that had been reported stolen.
Osefo and her husband have not yet entered pleas. She called the charges “unfortunate” in a recent appearance at Bravocon.
