Reality TV star Teresa Giudice and her husband Joe Giudice have been sentenced to jail at a courthouse in Newark, New Jersey. The two pleaded guilty a few months back after they were charged with several counts of bankruptcy and loan fraud last year and both were proven guilty of committing fraud and failure to file federal income tax returns.
While Teresa has been sentenced to a total of 15 months in prison, her husband Joe has to serve a jail term of three and a half years or 41 months to be precise. They will also have to pay a hefty fine of $414000. Their term will begin from January 5th next year. Since Joe is not a US citizen, the decision on his deportation will be made only after he finishes his term in prison.
It was an emotional scene at the courthouse as the Real Housewives of New Jersey star couldn’t stop herself from shedding a few tears before the sentence was read out by the judge. US district court judge Esther Salas was in two minds and for a moment and even considered just a probation for Teresa, but changed her mind as the fraud she committed along with her husband merited incarceration.
The judge seemed to believe that Teresa showed genuine regret for her actions, but also felt that she deserved to go to jail. The lawyers of the couple were expecting a prison term for both and they did everything they could for leniency citing emotional trauma for their four young daughters. However, the prosecutors noted that Teresa failed to include several cars and jewelry worth thousands of dollars among her assets while her husband didn’t bother to file his tax returns for the last several years which made the decision very easy for the judge to make.
The judge wished them luck after reading out their sentence and told them that they have a lot to live for and advised them not to keep up appearances for the sake of their friends.