GUILTY: Teresa And Joe Giudice Are Convicted Felons

Shit just got very Real!

New Convicted Felons:

Teresa Giudice, 41, and Giuseppe “Joe” Giudice, 43, convicted felons and stars of the Real Felons By Bravo Real Housewives of New Jersey, appeared in Federal Court (Newark, NJ) today and plead guilty to numerous fraud charges.

“I Am Heartbroken for My Daughters”

They each plead guilty to four counts of fraud including: bankruptcy fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and failing to pay taxes. Joe Giudice, specifically was accused of not filing tax returns for four years, so he plead guilty to an additional count of  failure to file income taxes.

RELATED: [Exclusive] Teresa Giudice’s Crisis PR Manager Throws Her Under The Bus

 

Selling Stories To The Press:

According to Wendy Feldman, the couple’s Crisis PR Manager, Teresa sells stories to the press DAILY. Pleading guilty has not slowed down the newly convicted felon. Immediately after pleading guilty this morning, Teresa sold made the following statement to People magazine:

“Today I took a 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. I have said throughout that I respect the legal process and thus, I intend to address the court directly at sentencing, she said in her statement. I will describe the choices I made, continue to take responsibility for my decision and express my remorse to Judge Salas and the public.”

 

READ: The Prosecution’s Official Statement (Post Conviction) Here

 

Their Original Charges:
In July 2013, The federal government indicted Teresa and Joe Giudice on 41-counts of fraud.  A summary of their charges are as follows:

1) Mail Fraud and Wire Fraud: The indictment states that between 2001-2008, using the U.S. mail, private carriers and wire communications, they defrauded 7 different banks and mortgage lenders.

2) Bank Fraud: The indictment states 5 banks were defrauded by submitting applications with false tax returns, pay stubs, and W-2s that gave false salaries and income. It’s being allege, the couple stole over $5 million from various banks.

3) Loan Application Fraud: For making false statements in those bank loan applications

4) Bankruptcy Fraud: Concealment, False Oaths, False Declarations. These are 22 different counts alone. In essence, they lied to the BK courts (under oath) about their finances. Knowingly filed false documents to conceal their income. That’s perjury. By the way, Teresa and Joe never withdrew their bankruptcy, the courts denied their petition on suspicion of fraud.

5) Failure to Make Tax Returns: These counts are all against Joe, and claim he didn’t file tax returns from 2004-2008.

Why The Reduce Charges?
The federal prosecutors appeared to have a rock solid case against the Giudice’s, with plenty of evidence for them to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Therefore many are speculating why the sudden change to accept a plea deal with significantly reduced charges. This is the burning question on many minds today.

Will Joe Be Deported?
Once Joe Giudice completes his prison sentence, he will face another hearing with Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to determine if he’ll be deported back to his native Italy or be allowed to remain in the United States. Federal Judge Esther Salas said “likely result in … your being removed from the United States,” in accepting their pleas. So there you have it folks, the judge herself said Joe will likely be deported back to Italy.

Sentencing Phase:
Joe Giudice faces a potential sentence of 37 to 46 months and Teresa Giudice could get 21 to 27 months, under federal guidelines. The couple’s sentencing date has been tentatively scheduled for July 8th. Then they’ll have to surrender to the Dept of Justice, 30-60 days after sentencing. Orange jumpsuits, here they come!