We heard yesterday that Teresa Giudice was lawyer shopping in what will surely be a vain attempt to appeal the very lenient 15 months of prison she was given after pleading guilty to 41 counts of fraud. Most lawyers would tell Teresa that she’s not going to wiggle out of serving time, particularly since the judge gave her less time than the prosecutor recommended. However, Teresa apparently found a lawyer who has agreed to take on her case, and she’s a divorce lawyer. It could just be a coincidence that the only lawyer willing to work with Teresa is a divorce attorney, or she could be going for a two in one and planning an appeal followed by a divorce. At least that’s what Radar claims. Here’s more:
Weirdly enough, sources say that the lawyer’s first order of business will be to attempt an appeal of her prison sentence — even though, as Radar has reported, she is prohibited from appeal per the terms of her plea deal.
Though the female attorney specializes in family law, “Teresa really likes her and will likely hire her to handle the appeal of her looming prison sentence. The lawyer would also bring another attorney on board that specializes in white collar crime,” a source explained.
“While it’s odd that Teresa would be meeting with a divorce attorney to handle the appeal, it’s not that unconventional for the mother of four. She is going with her gut instincts on this one,” the source said. “It shouldn’t be lost on anyone either that Joe isn’t going to be pursuing any appeal, and Teresa will likely hire the divorce attorney to handle her inevitable split from him.”
During their WWHL interview, Teresa kept telling Joe to take care of their daughters. I really doubt she’s going to divorce him before she goes to prison. She needs him to watch the girls during the two hours of the day he’s sober. If anything, she’ll wait until he’s locked up and she’ll serve him then.
As Radar mentions, Teresa didn’t go with Joe to the sentencing hearing yesterday for a separate crime he faced charges for, using his brother’s identity to fraudulently obtain a driver’s license. In court, Joe vacillated on whether he was going to accept a plea deal and eventually accepted it. He received 18 months in that case to be served concurrently with the 41 months he’s already getting for stealing $5 million. That means he has no additional jail time, however the judge did call it a “virtual certaintly” that Joe would be deported after serving his sentence. Outside the courtroom, Joe told paparazzi to get back or he would “kick every one of yous in the head.”
In related news, US Magazine claims that Teresa has recorded video messages for her four daughters, to be played at birthdays and holidays during her year and a half in prison. That broke my heart a little. I do hope that family steps up for Teresa’s daughters while she’s away. If all they have is their dad, those little girls are in for a rough time.
Photo credit: WENN.com
While I think they both need to pay for their crimes, both strike me as complete idiots. He’s a bully, who’s drinking has gotten worse & she’s not very bright at all, but really seemed to love her family. Maybe even to a fault.
If part of her deal included no appeal, how can they be trying it anyway? Could that be considered rejecting the deal?
If they do divorce, I think it woul be because he will likely be deported and she will want to stay in the US for her “career”.
I don’t understand how he isn’t a US citizen. He married a US citizen, so doesn’t that give him some rights?
Just because he has a greencard doesn’t mean he’s a US citizen. From what I understand he is not a citizen which is how he can be deported.
doesn’t deporting him after serving his sentence void the rationale for them not serving their sentences as the same time, or is she doing her prison stint first?
@ol cranky – The judge staggered their sentences so that Teresa serves her time first and then Joe goes in. So Joe doesn’t have to report to prison until 2016.
Also, the judge put a hold on the start of Teresa’s prison sentence until January so that she could spend time with her kids during the holiday season. She also gave T less than the time asked for by the prosecutor.
If Joe served his time before Teresa, then that would mean that he might be deported while Teresa was serving her sentence which would leave their kids without parents for a while.
I think the judge was very lenient and bent over backwards to make it as convenient as possible for T&J. She even said that she was going to give T probation or home arrest but that was changed when T continued NOT disclosing her finances and assets.
He had a green card before he ever married her since he came to the country when he was 1 year old. Marrying an American would just otherwise give you the possibility to get a visa first, followed by a green card (permanent residency). The right to reside though is not equal to citizenship. He has to apply for citizenship and pass all the necessary tests.
Obviously one of the critical differences between being a permanent resident versus a citizen (besides being able to vote) is the risk of deportation. Once you are an American citizen, you can’t be deported.
Questions
1) it’s been mentioned that nobody knew he wasn’t a citizen. When they all went to Italy or would travel to Mexico is passport would reflect he wasn’t a citizen .
2) when getting his drivers license same thing
3) on what possible basis can T appeal?
Just because you marry an American citizen doesn’t mean squat. I am from Europe and am a legal immigrant. I am not a citizen; however. This means that I can be deported. This would never happen, though, since I am a LAW ABIDING person! I hold a “green card” as well. I was married to an American. I have American children.
Re: the appeal. Basically they have to first appeal the ban on appealing, then if that is allowed (highly unlikely) they can move on to the actual appeal. It is a huge waste of money and no reasonable lawyer would take it on (hence the divorce attorney) and I think Teresa is truly stupid and still has hope that she can somehow avoid doing time. The best she is likely to get is a delay because all the paperwork and hearings to try to get an appeal will drag on for a long time. She could even get a LONGER sentence, which I’m sure she hasn’t figured out yet. Joe might end up in prison before her after all. I don’t think this is good for her career (or what’s left of it anyway), she should just do her time ASAP and then go back to trying to sell her cookbooks. Then again, she’s never been the brightest crayon in the box. Any normal woman would have dumped Joe the first time he was caught cheating with strippers, and certainly once he alienated his wife from her family. But Teresa is… Teresa. And look where that’s gotten her.
I don’t feel bad about this at all. They knew what they were doing were crimes. TG trying to appeal is the dumbest thing in the world. She has no case.
You never mess with the IRS. Always a bad idea. Shoot, I’d take my chances at fighting ISIS before I messed with the IRS. Haha.
Good GOD her hairline
Scariest.thing.ever!
I wouldn’t say scariest thing ever, but I am never able to read any words once I’ve spotted that unmissable forehead. To this day, I have a vague idea of who she is, but could probably paint that hairline from memory.
… It’s not as creepy as it sounds. 🙂
Too bad Teresa and Joe did not think of their daughters before they committed fraud. I just can not feel sorry for these two knuckleheads. They are lucky they avoided prison this long. Any other person would have been thrown in prison long ago. These two could afford the high priced lawyers and were able to spend one last Christmas together as a family. What a load of elephant dung!
that’s exactly what i wanted to say – think about your children and what is going to happen to them when you get caught BEFORE you commit the crimes.
I think the idea of leaving her 4 girls with their father horrifies her. That’s the one thing she’s not delusional about. I keep hoping she finds a better solution than him. I would never leave that man in charge of my kids.
I think it would be quite scary for anyone though, four kids is a lot for anyone to handle on their own. I honestly feel they should go stay with grandparents (Joe included, since they are selling their houses) if that is an option. Then at least they will have three adults around them. I mean two (Joe excluded..haha)
Please! No more Real Convicts of New Jersey!
oh, radar. so adorably old-school. “the female attorney.” you can just say “attorney.” i have yet to see “the male attorney” in print.
+ 1000
Exactly!
SMH
Could it be that Tree has decided to come out as illiterate? She didn’t read her plea deal because she couldn’t and that’s what the new atty will present to the court? Divorce? Later.
Whoever the judge is for this appeal, I hope he/she sees the WWHL interview they did after their sentencing. Teresa floated a trial balloon about not understanding what the plea bargain was and that she didn’t know it involved possible prison time.
But then Andy pushed the issue and they finally admitted that they knew that if they had gone to trial and gotten convicted of even one count, it could have been a 10-year sentence.
I think the judge went over it all orally with her to make sure she understood each point. So illiteracy shouldn’t be a defense.
Funny that this woman is on a reality show because she seems very far removed from reality.
One of the other housewives called this, when it goes south despite her saying she would never leave Joe, she would be in divorce court so fast her head will spin.
Thank god Teresa is looking for a decent lawyer, her lawyers let her down and didn’t fight hard enough and as a result a woman who is almost innocent will be going to jail. I’ve watched her being interviewed and all she did was sign papers that Juicy gave to her. Juicy said he got the papers & forms from the banks which means the banks are the ones who caused all these problems for this wonderful family. Teresa & Joe are the best reality personalities on earth who have millions of loving fans. Even if some of this is true she should be free to care for her 4 beautiful daughters who need their mom.
I don’t watch this, so I only know her and her family from this website, but even I lol hard at your statement. Naive, much?
Almost innocent? Like almost pregnant, doesn’t exist.
Are you being sarcastic? I hope so…
“Teresa & Joe are the best reality personalities on earth who have millions of loving fans.”
Mmm. No. Teresa is a flamboyant narcissist who people laugh at. She basked in the glow of that mirror at the expense of her daughters for some time. She and she husband fronted a totally fake lifestyle that was paid for by criminal fraud and tax evasion.
What she should be is grateful that she got off with such a lenient sentence.
“Almost innocent” is a hilarious phrase. This is trolling at its best. Well done.
that should be a new legal standard. “the jury should find my client ALMOST INNOCENT, your honor.” lol
@Ag, I know, right? For this alone, I am giving this comment 5 out of 5 stars.
I can’t believe I missed that. haha
Thanks for the laughs.
Hi Teresa!
LOL! Great post! “Almost innocent” – well that’s a great new level that should be used in our justice system: ‘Guilty but almost innocent’ and then round up to ‘innocent.’
Yeah, it’s all the banks’ fault. They shouldn’t be allowed to have lying around copies of form papers for loans and whatnot, because there might be people like T&J who accidentally go to banks, accidentally pick up those forms, and accidentally fill them out using a bunch of lies.
Yeah. And those banks shouldn’t have accepted those doctored W2 forms. You know, the ones on which Teresa claimed to be an executive assistant who made 100K a year.
I’m beginning to think a lot of the Tre fans of denial are 13 year old girls.
Now you are worried about your 4 kids. Girl please take your a** to jail. You and your convict husband did the crime now do the time. If that was Keisha and Dwayne they both would be in jail the same time. Please don’t look for any sympathy from me . Don’t drop the soap Joe and Theresa keep your mouth shut
True.
I am curious, what are the chances that she even does the full 15 months. Isn’t there time off for good behavior and such? I really expected Teresa to have to do maybe 6 months. If even that. If she had any sense she would go turn her self in now and get it over with. It is way too late to avoid the jail sentence. Unless she has something to bargain with, on Joe and his shady dealings.
And let all this foolery be a warning to anyone with half a brain. You never just sign IRS returns, loan documents… and not have them explained to you. Especially when you know your husband is shady as f*ck.
Holy cow, I don’t even watch these asinine Housewife shows. But dang, once all the shenanigans starting hitting the fan… and Teresa knew he was lying. She should have went and got her own lawyer. It is the same reason you never share a lawyer in a divorce. You need a independent council, whose only interest is you.
I think in the Federal system you have to serve at least 85% of your sentence. So it will likely be more like 12 mos, I think.
She’ll serve about 12-12.5 month, so will be out after the first of the year 2016. The Feds give no parole, and you have to serve a minimum of 85% of your sentence.
85% of 15 months is 12 months, 3 weeks. If she’s goes in on January 5, 2015 she’ll be getting out around February 1, 2016.
I hope that if she tries to appeal this her sentence gets extended. A regular Jane would not get the deal she’s getting. She should be thankful that she didn’t get the max so she can go back to her daughters as soon as possible.
I hope if she appeals it the prosecutors play hardball and reinstate all 40 charges. Hope she likes facing the possibility of 10 years again!
The only people I feel sorry for here are the girls. And Joe did mention at one point that if they did time his family would step in and help with his kids. I hope that’s true because he’s a clueless drunk.
If her plea deal required her to waive her appeal, as has been reported frequently, she is wasting money hiring an attorney to file an appeal. The attorney will have little choice but to file an Anders appeal and brief – basically simple filings stating, “My client ordered me to appeal this case but it has no merit.”
Even if she arguably had some grounds to challenge her conviction or sentence, she got a sweet deal. If she were to have her case reopened somehow, the U.S. attorney and judge might not be as generous the next time around. The whole point of plea deals is that both sides give up something to get something. The U.S. gets a conviction and punishment without the time and expense of a trial; Teresa gets a bunch of charges dropped and a much shorter prison sentence than what she would likely get if she took her chances and went to trial. Seriously, she should be grateful she got off as lightly as she did.
As for Joe, his federal conviction not only ensures he will be deported, but it also renders him permanently barred from returning legally to the U.S. in the future. Since Teresa is a convicted felon too, she might be barred from entering Italy. They both might have difficulties travelling to third countries as well since most countries bar felons even from entering as short term tourists. Their poor daughters will suffer for their parents’ sins for a long time. Sad.
I wonder if Joe is busily trying to figure out if Italy will allow him to be extradited to the US if he pulls a runner before his prison term.
Why exactly didn’t he become a US citizen, anyway? Did his parents become citizens only after he was full grown? He’s been in the US since he was a 1 year old.
I don’t care how dumb she is she had to figure out fairly quickly that all that cash coming in was not being earned by Joe or loaned on his worthless self. I expect they have family in Italy that will help them get reestablished there when this is all over. My question is then can they get out of paying the 13.2 million dollars they owe if they leave the country? One more thing….God help those girls with Joe. Teresa has zero control over their mouths but I think Joe has even less control!
I believe the judge should make Joe serve first so that the girls are older when Teresa goes. She may not have a clue about the legal woes she’s charged with, but she is a good mom. Also, Joe needs to be removed from the chance to keep drinking!!