Teresa Giudice, star of Bravo’s “Real Housewives of New Jersey,” was sentenced Thursday afternoon to serve 15 months in federal prison after her and husband Joe Giudice plead guilty to 41 counts of bankruptcy fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and failing to pay taxes back in March.
Joe has been ordered to serve 41 months and pay over $400,000 in restitution, along with two years of supervised probation and taking an alcohol rehabilitation course. The prosecutor requested a 21 month sentence for Teresa.
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The couple, who have four daughters between ages five and 13, will serve staggered sentences so one parent is available to care for the children. Teresa will serve first. (RELATED: Joe Giudice Gets Hit With Huge Sentence)
After pleading guilty on March 4, Teresa issued this statement:
“Today I took responsibility for a series of mistakes I made several years ago. 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.”
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The prosecutor in the case said the two had “glaring omissions” on their financial disclosure forms, and submitted phony applications for loans. The Giudices failed to account for recreational vehicles, jewelry, home furnishings, and insurance policies.
Joe is an Italian-born citizen, and could likely face deportation after he serves his time, though he claims he was brought to the United States as an infant and was unaware he wasn’t a citizen.