On Thursday, Oct. 2nd, The Real Housewies of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice and husband Joe (Giuseppe) Giudice appeared in front of New Jersey Supreme Court judge. They were sentenced to 15 months and 41 months, respectively, in federal prison, along with additional restitution and probation sentences for federal mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud.
In 2009, Bravo introduced America to Teresa Giudice as the hot tempered, table-flipping Jersey girl on one of the network’s Housewives franchises, "The Real Housewives of New Jersey."
Viewers saw Teresa indulge in various luxuries such as driving expensive cars, building an exquisite mansion, paying for tens of thousands of dollars of furniture in cash and throwing over the top parties. However, in October of 2009, the couple filed for bankruptcy, sighting millions in liabilities from unpaid bills, including credit cards belonging to Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.
The couple’s legal troubles did not stop there. Joe was arrested on DUI charges that caused him to have his license revoked. Later in 2011 he was arrested for identity theft and forgery for trying to obtain a fake drivers license, which could result in 10 years of imprisonment. This case is still pending.
Viewers also saw Teresa and Joe battling in various, smaller legal battles with some of Joe's former business partners.
In 2010, rumors began to circulate of the stars’ million-dollar mansion facing foreclosure. It was announced that the Giudices hid various assets when they first claimed bankruptcy in 2009. Channeling Bravo executive producer Andy Cohen’s popular talk-show game, “Plead the 5th” on Watch What Happens Live, the couple remained quiet when the courts asked the couple about these hidden assets.
Unfortunately, the New Jersey couple’s legal woes only got worse in 2013. The Giudices were indicted on 39 counts (!!!) of bankruptcy, wire and mail fraud (from giving false information on loans and other legal documents beginning in 2004). The count increased shortly thereafter to 41 counts total.
At this point, fans of the show discovered that Joe wasn't a U.S. citizen. In addition to speculation on the intense consequences the couple might face, including jail time, people began to speculate that Joe could face deportation. As it turns out, after the announcement of the couple's sentencing , the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement stated that they could still deport Mr. Giudice, but are waiting until after he serves his time in federal prison to make a decision.
Shortly after the initial news of the fraud went public, Teresa and Joe told Cohen on Watch What Happens Live! that they didn’t understand why they were facing these charges. They were adamant about maintaining their innocence, stating something along the lines of, “Lots of other people have probably done the same things as us but aren’t getting caught because they aren’t on TV.” Valid, Teresa, but maybe you should have thought about this before flaunting your excessive lifestyle before the eyes of the entire world.
In March of 2014, however, Teresa and Joe pled guilty to various charges to avoid a full-blown trial. In a statement released by the couple's attorney, Teresa said, "Today I took responsibility for a series of mistakes I made several years ago. I am heartbroken that this is affecting my family, especially my four young daughters, who mean more to me than anything in the world."
An additional part of their plea agreement meant the couple would have to forfeit any money obtained under fraud as well as paying restitution fees.
Six months later, in September of 2014, the stars put their New Jersey mansion on the market, as well as their vacation home and rental property, perhaps to pay off some of the estimated $13.4 million to creditors and more to their legal team. On the current season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, viewers watch Terersa shop for a smaller house with her oldest daughter -- a sign that she probably realized that these charges would not work out favorably for her.
The couple was originally due in court for their sentencing hearing this past summer, but it was pushed back to late September so the family could mourn the untimely death of Joe’s father. The sentencing was again pushed back to October for unknown reasons.
Judge Salas will allow the couple to serve their sentences concurrently, with Teresa heading to prison first and Joe to follow upon her release, so that the couple's four daughters, Gia (13), Gabriella (9), Milania (8) and Audriana (6) can be raised by a parent. Teresa has until January 5th to surrender herself.
