‘RHONY’ Star Says Money Secrets Aren’t Only Marital Issues

Erin Lichy’s husband Abe is opening up about why they are in a tough spot in Season 15 of The Real Housewives of New York City. in the first few episodes of the season, a tearful Lichy revealed that he’d sold their Bitcoin without her knowledge consent. She also hinted to other things he’d done. In a recent interview with Page Six’s Virtual Reali-Tea podcast, Abe spoke about how things have played out. “It was representative of a larger, deeper issue,”he said. It’s not that nefarious, but it’s real.”

He said after leaving his law firm job to start a handbag business with his wife, things got tough financially. “We lost all our cash. It was a very expensive MBA,” he joked. He said selling the Bitcoin behind Erin’s back was more of a “pride” thing fueled by his desire to be the breadwinner, despite their debt. Erin is also in the real estate business. They share three kids: Levi, 9, Layla, 7, and Elijah, 4.

“I didn’t want to take it from our joint checking account, so I took the Bitcoin. I sold it. I paid for the debt,” Abe explained. “We ended up talking about it because she found out about the Bitcoin, obviously.”

He said despite the issue, having the conversation was “liberating” for him. But there were major consequences. “I was in the doghouse for a long time,” he said. “When we were filming, I was probably two or three months after she had found — when it all happened. So, it was still pretty fresh. It was tough.” Now he says they are in a stable place.

In a confessional on the show, Erin told producers, “There were some decisions that Abe made without discussing it with me. But the problem was that the truth came out right in the middle of me dealing with my [sick] mom and everything that we’re going through, so I wasn’t able to lean on him because he betrayed me, and I was furious with him, and it just added so much more stress,” she said. 

Erin discovered the deceit after trying to pay off “a large chunk” of their mortgage with the Bitcoin. The money was not there.

She spoke about her frustrations during a dinner scene with her husband. “The worst part was that you had sold it years ago and that’s what was so upsetting. You f—ed up and then that spiraled into learning all the other s— that you’ve been hiding from me,” she said firmly. 

In his confessional, Abe told producers, “I didn’t feel like my wife didn’t deserve to know something, I just didn’t want to add to the stress that she’s dealing with in her life. If you’re together with somebody, there’s that inclination to protect them, but, in the long run it’s not the right thing to do.” He also admitted that he always felt a pressure to provide for her due to her dating wealthy men in the past.