Teresa and Joe Giudice of The Real Housewives of New Jersey were charged with multiple counts of federal fraud last summer. The Giudices are are con artists who faked documents to apply for loans, filed for bankruptcy to avoid responsibility for their debts, hid assets from creditors, and then continued to document their wild spending in the media for years. They failed to file taxes for years at a time.
Despite initially pleading not guilty, and repeatedly insisting that were innocent of the charges, both Joe and Teresa pled guilty in court yesterday. (The photo above was taken outside their court appearance.) Joe plead guilty to five of the 41 counts against him, while Teresa plead guilty to four counts. By doing so they avoid trial. Sentencing is scheduled for July 8th. Teresa has been ordered to pay $200,000 in fines to the government.
Teresa has issued a statement to US Magazine in which she paints her decision to plead guilty as an honorable one that will affect her family negatively. Joe is facing more than three years in prison and could be deported to Italy. Teresa is expected to get about two years.
Harsh reality for Teresa Giudice and Joe Giudice. As expected, the Real Housewives of New Jersey stars pleaded guilty to several mortgage and bankruptcy fraud charges on Tuesday, March 4.
The Giudices were reportedly both composed during their court appearance while pleading guilty to several counts of bankruptcy fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, and failing to pay taxes. They are scheduled to be sentence on July 8. Joe, an Italian citizen, could face deportation.“Today, I took responsibility for a series of mistakes I made several years ago,” Teresa said in a statement to Us Weekly on Tuesday. “I have said throughout that I respect the legal process and thus I intend to address the court directly at sentencing. I will describe the choices I made, continue to take responsibility for my decisions, and express my remorse to Judge Salas and the public.”
“I am heartbroken that this is affecting my family — especially my four young daughters, who mean more to me than anything in the world,” she continued. “Beyond this, I do not intend to speak specifically about the case outside of court, at the recommendation of my attorney and out of deference to the government and our legal system.”
The Bravo reality stars were charged in a 41-count indictment on various fraud and tax charges back in July. They originally pled not guilty to two charges in November, but an insider confirmed to Us Weekly on March 1 that the couple arranged a plea agreement.
“The couple will plead guilty to several but not all 41 of the charges, and both will appear in court on Tuesday with their lawyers,” a source told Us at the time.
According to NBC New York, Joe, 43, faces 37 to 46 months in prison, while Teresa faces 21 to 27 months. The couple are parents to four daughters: Gia, 13, Gabriella, 11, Milania, 9, and Audriana, 5.
I do feel sorry for the Giudice’s four daughters, who are very young. However I think both Joe and Teresa should serve time. The NY Daily News reports that officials said the couple’s “jail terms could be staggered to keep one parent at home with the kids while the other is behind bars..
Radar reports that Teresa is going to request that she serve her time under house arrest. Of course she is. Have you seen her house? Technically it shouldn’t even belong to her.
Photo credit: WENN.com and FameFlynet
I feel so sorry for their poor kids. This is going to be the hardest on them.
I’ve always felt sorry for their kids. Nothing new there.
It’s about damn time they take responsibility.
I totally agree. I thought they should have been arrested for that house they “stole” I mean built. The clothes, the cars etc it is insulting to real working people. Throw away the key.
She couldn’t define half the words in that statement.
They are disgusting.
Yes. It’s all around vile. Let’s see in 15 years which children are still talking to their parents. I’m sure hardly any of them will be. I’d be ashamed to be related to EITHER of these two, much less both. Seriously, those poor kids. They’re spitting images of their mother, how can they start fresh anywhere? At such a young age, this shame and revolting behavior is already a huge part of the legacy left to them.
I had no idea who these two are – thanks, Google – Oh, but how appropriate.
“Giudice” is Italian for “judge”….
She definitely deserves to go to jail, but for their kids sake I almost hope she is able to do her time at home. The kids shouldn’t be punished by having both their parents taken away.
No way should she have the luxury of house arrest. The judge can stagger the sentences so both parents aren’t in jail at the same time. She already had kids while she was committing her crimes & she obviously wasn’t thinking about what was best for her kids so why should she have special consideration because of the kids now?
I actually hadn’t thought of staggered sentences. That would be a better solution. I don’t think she deserves the luxury of house arrest at all, she does deserve to be in jail. Any sympathy I have is for the kids having both their parents taken away at the same time. I’m sure w/ good behavior she will only serve a fraction of her sentence anyway.
I agree — it is sad for the kids. For some reason I think with federal crimes, you pretty much serve your entire sentence & don’t get much time off, if any, for good behavior. Does anyone know if that’s the way it works?
Mrs.B they’re federal crimes so they have to serve something like 80 or 90 % of their sentence
@emmie I think you are right. I believe if she gets 21 months, she serves 21 months.
It’s not special consideration for her but her kids. If her husband is deported back to Italy then staggered sentences don’t work.
Tammy White: He wouldn’t be deported until after he serves his sentence. He has to pay for his crime first. …And JMO I don’t think the kids should be a consideration for jail time vs. house arrest. Whatever the general population (parents or not) gets is exactly what she should get. Nothing special.
There are THOUSANDS of mothers in prison serving time for lesser offenses. Lauryn Hill and Jesse Jackson Jr’s wife are both mothers and serving time. Not sure why someone being a parent should skate on serving time nor why because she is some zlist celebrity she should be treated any differently from any other criminal?! She and her troll of a husband were not thinking about their children when their greed got the better of them.
Exactly. And the judge staggered the sentences of Jessie Jackson Jr & his wife so they wouldn’t be in jail at the same time.
Exactly!
I’m sure the kids will be well taken care of. Both of them need to do their jail time and take full responsibility for the actions. As it is, they aren’t such role models, as far as I can tell by the full 20 minutes I gave to one episode. It is bullsh*t if she is just given house arrest. She is guilty as sin, and deserves to face prison time for her actions.
So, if we’ve learned anything from Celebrity Justice it’s that you can get away with anything as long as you pay your taxes. If the Government weren’t one of their creditors we all know they wouldn’t see the inside of a cell.
See also: Lauryn Hill and Wesley Snipes. Hell, even Li-Lo knew not to mess with the IRS!
But Lohan did fail to pay backed taxes.
http://gawker.com/5875591/lindsay-lohan-owes-94000-in-back-taxes
It’s likely she’s still avoiding paying too.
I think it’s more because of RealHousewife asociation and they peeved off the wrong people.
They aren’t going to jail. Look at all the others that have done horrible things and are still out living life. The normal rules dont apply to “celebrities”. Maybe they will get a spin-off “Real housewife of cell block C”?
You mean Orange Is The New Black?
It would be just like that show. No character is sympathetic with many embellishments.
*Ducks out to avoid OITNB fans*
I read that book and was truly unsympathetic.. in fact by mid-story I couldn’t stand the author
You can run over all the strollers you like in California if you’re a celeb. But you will serve jail time if you try to stiff Uncle Sam on his taxes.
Didn’t Wesley Snipes and Lauren Hill go to jail? They are celebrities and had to face the consequences. If they had to go to jail, so should these two sleazebags.
I’ve only seen up to Season 3 of RHONJ and these two…and they are horrible people.
They admitted during that season that he had forged his ex business partners signature on documents and their response to the judge not letting them off because he confessed was “that’s what you get for being honest”
Eh no, that’s what you get for forging someone’s signature on documents, do you asshats honesty not see that?
They are fighting with everyone else on the show yet it’s never their fault. The husband is an abusive drunken sh*thead with an entire potato field on his shoulder and she’s not much better. They’re also fairly shitty parents, in my opinion and an example that spending money on kids does not a good parent make.
Their kids would be better off without them for a while, as horrible as that is to say.
They really are awful people. I hope they get staggered sentences for the kids sake but they should both do time.
I agree. I don’t think house arrest is suitable for the crimes they committed. I feel sorry for their children, but they should have thought of them before they ripped off so many people and didn’t pay taxes. The people they stole from probably have children too.
Couldn’t figure out the ‘whole potato field’ comment at first. I always saw the chip as a little piece of wood. Kind of funny.
I never thought about that.
I’m Irish so maybe that’s why my mind automatically goes to potato, haha! 😉
Her statement is hilarious. Their greed is beyond belief and I hope both do jail time, kids or no kids. Would like to see her living in a trailer. I mean, WHO DO THESE PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE??
Did my comment get sent to spam? Was it too mean?
I said something unkind about Teresa’s hairline and made an unflattering and mean remark about Joe.
???
So funny, I know I should be focusing on their greed and overall disgusting characters, but all I could think was she should have put some of those ill gotten gains towards a new hairline.
Yes! All that money stolen and you couldn’t laser your hairline a little?
Every time I see a picture of that woman, my eyes immediately go to that hairline. All that money—did nothing with it.
Nope. Clearly nope! And you have to get in line behind the kabillions of us who have at least thought it even if we didn’t say it. But really, she should have gotten a new hairline with some of her ill gotten booty. It’s impossible to avoid staring at it, isn’t it?
Put ’em in jail and throw away the key as far as I’m concerned. Horrible master cons both of them. As for their kids, they should have thought about them while they were pulling their cons. Since they didn’t, I wouldn’t soften their punishments because of their children. Let them go live with some non-con relatives.
That’s what I was thinking. How does it benefit the children to live with either of these two?
+1
What I’m sure is truly breaking Theresa’s heart is the realization that even a year in the hoosegow is a lifetime in reality TV and she’ll be long forgotten by the time she’s let out of the big house. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Good point! I think you hit the nail right on the head with this.
So orange is the new leopard.
That’s…. Too bad? Hilarious? Not my problem? They deserve it, if only because they were so stupid to flaunt the “deception”. Those kids are in a lose lose situation, and that unfortunate. Barney rubble and cro magnum swapped for (I assume) spray can Sam and his super smart wife . I’m guessing custody had already been arranged and not to be jaded but prepare yourselves for the ” slammer cam” .
Orange is the new leopard?! Perfect!
greed……
Yes. ^This.
She knows the word deference?
She was probably trying so say “defense” or something else..
Her lack of vocabulary on the show is disturbing
No, she doesn’t know the word “deference,” although it is used correctly in this statement. The statement was obviously prepared by her attorneys.
On the “Live” shows, Andy Cohen was continually correcting her wrong usage of words. A brainiac she “ain’t.”
However, if nothing else, I do think Teresa is a good mother to those four darling little girls.
I do love when she says some made up jumble of two words and he stares at her blankly.
She apparently has a college education so you would imagine her basic vocabulary would be better.
I love how they try to pin themselves as victims. I have no patience for these two.
Yes! I remember the last time they were on Watch What Happens Live Teresa kept saying something like, Why is this happening to us? Why?? Like she just couldn’t believe they were going after her bc she was SO innocent. Ha.Ha.Ha.
She is an idiot.
She is beyond an idiot. I highly doubt that there is anyone who feels sorry for them. I could be wrong, but regardless of feeling sorry for the kids, she/they are hopefully getting exactly what they deserve. Nothing but sleazebags!!
They stole 11 millions dollars. Jail.
People have gone away for longer for a LOT less.
There’s going to be a book after all this. Fabulicious Behind Bars.
Probably an unpopular opinion but I feel like Joe maybe pushed her into doing it and it’s so obvious on the show that she’s basically his dog and follows him around blindly. They both deserve jail but I hope he gets deported. He’s disgusting. Her kids would be better off without either of them.
She’s shown on the show that she is WELL able to stand up for herself, I think they’re as abusive and delusional as each other. They share a very strong victim complex.
Personally, given how utterly shallow and greedy she clearly is, I’d say she was willing to go along with it as it provided the lifestyle she wanted.
Well said Lindy.
+1 Lindy79
If you watched at least five minutes of the show you will come to realize that Teresa does her own thing. Nobody forces her to do anything she doesn’t want to do. As stupid as she is, she knew exactly what she was doing. She wanted to live the high life, and this was her only way of accomplishing this.
I hope for the children’s sake she doesn’t go to jail as much as I loathe her. The kids need their mother and no way Joe could handle four kids on his own. I shutter to think of it.
I personally think those kids do not need a mother like that. No doubt the kids will be well taken care of while they are locked away, and will hopefully learn morals and manners. As far as I can tell, they certainly haven’t learned them with their so called parents.
As someone who watched the first show that launched this plague- the RHW of OC- I have to ask- when did Bravo decide- let’s find the most obnoxious, false and alround icky people and put them on TV? The last RW episode I ever watched was the one where this piece of work went ballistic at a family(?) gathering. They both conned a lot of folks for a long time, and hoped they enjoyed the ride. Wonder if Bravo has lined up another crook in training to take her place?
I think these people are all Bravo can find. What kind of person invites cameras into their homes to film their lives. And it’s not even their lives. It is some story arc they are following. But cameras in your home? You are asking for divorce or bankruptcy or addiction.
Ugh, I feel bad for the kids but at the same time, I really think they need to pay for their mistakes. They give people from NJ/NY and Italian Americans a bad name.
Their level of consumption is disgusting. They deserve jail.
They don’t face enough jail time and I mean real jail time. They knew what they were doing and the prospered off of it. I have heard that she will more than likely get probation and he will maybe do a year or two. That is just sick and wrong. We have people doing longer stints in prison for less and that is what pisses me off. And as far as their kids go they needed to think of that before they started cheating.
I feel bad that their parents are celebrate criminals. I don’t feel bad their parents are going to jail.
Oh, and apparently she can still afford a nose job.
Did she get a nose job recently? It wouldn’t surprise me if she did. It looks like she got her hair and makeup professionally done for her court appearance and is wearing hair extensions — Where is she getting money for all this? Why hasn’t the gov’t frozen every single asset they have? Being the criminals they are, I’m sure they’re hiding everything right now.
How is SHE a trophy wife? How?
What this should tell everyone that has listened to her (and him) go on about how they couldn’t understand WHY this was happening to them….is that they both lie bold faced and continued to deceive everyone about their innocence. If you watch the show or any show she’s been on…she is dumber than a box of rocks and so is he. They didn’t concern themselves very with the affects it would have on the four children when they were scheming and defrauding everyone…so don’t pull out the NOBLE card now, Theresa. The kids should have been the reason you went without all the bling and the big house and fancy cars. Insisting one year Joe give you diamonds for Xmas. GET off the “wanna-be” wagon and live within your means…like the rest of us do! I think they’re getting off easy with so little time behind bars. They were advised by their attorney to plead guilty no doubt to lessen the time in the slammer. Lets hope BRAVO cuts them loose and lets them sink or swim on their own. No more recipe books with recipes you simply took from your mother and aunt…and made a bundle on. Bulls**t.
Her sister-in-law must be beside herself in feeling justified.. secretly of course.
Ugh, they both deserve jail time completely. BUT the fact that both parents would be taken away is something unusually traumatic and awful for the kids, I wouldn’t object to her serving house arrest. She should be forced to do major community service/something to show she hasn’t gotten off scott free. The proceeds from her books should go to charity. While I think she is abhorrent and unrepentant for her crimes, she is not the mastermind here, she probably signed whatever “Juicy” told her to sign before he dropped a shiny diamond in her lap. She really is dumb but she hasn’t physically harmed anyone and I’m sure far smarter white collar criminals have done worse and not served jail time.
Far smarter white collar criminals have stolen LESS money and served MORE time. And it doesn’t matter if she physically harmed anyone. She stole 11 MILLION dollars! What about the small businesses and individuals she stole from? Those people will never see a dime. It’s absolutely sickening. And she absolutely deserves jail time. I don’t care if she has kids. She wasn’t thinking about the kids when she STOLE 11 MILLION dollars – so why should the legal system make her kids a priority?
I agree she deserves jail time, as I said, but imo the trauma to the children does make this a special case. She is a dumb greedy woman, but she I doubt she would have gotten into this if it weren’t for her magnificent beast of a husband (I jest, he is grotesque and should rot in prison). If she was smart she would have pointed the finger at him and let him take the fall, they set their kids up to be orphans. Maybe they would be better off in another household, I guess Uncle Joey is gonna have to build a new McMansion (and yeah…where’s that money coming from?).