'Real Housewives Of New Jersey' Star Teresa Giudice Sentenced To 15 Months In Prison; Husband Joe Giudice Receives 41 Months For Fraud

Teresa Giudice is headed to prison. The reality star may be famous as part of the cast of Bravo’s “Real Housewives of New Jersey,” but she and her husband, Joe, faced some real legal consequences Thursday. The couple pled guilty to four counts of fraud, including conspiracy to commit bankruptcy fraud in March after being indicted on 41 charges. Teresa and Joe Giudice faced sentencing Thursday, Oct. 2, in a Newark, New Jersey, court, where Teresa was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison. Joe Giudice was sentenced to 41 months of jail time.

Teresa faced up to 27 months in prison for her crimes, though she had appealed to the judge for leniency in the sentencing, asking for community service and home detention. The reality star hoped to be able to take care of her children (four girls, all under 14 years old), as it seemed inevitable that husband Joe would face prison time. Some leniency was granted by the court as the sentences for Teresa and Joe will be staggered so that a parent is present for the children. If both husband and wife were sent to prison, Teresa’s parents would have become the temporary guardians of the children, a source told Radar Online. Teresa and her husband spoke to Bravo’s Andy Cohen before the sentencing about what might happen to their children.

Watch part of Teresa and Joe Giudice’s interview with Andy Cohen below:

The “Real Housewives” star hoped that her short-tempered personality on the show (Giudice is most famous for flipping a table at a New Jersey restaurant after an argument with a co-star) would not affect her sentencing, telling Page Six that “her image is little more than a carefully crafted fiction, engineered by Bravo TV through scripted lines and clever editing.”

While many sympathized with Teresa’s pleas for mercy in her sentencing and her desire to take care of her children, others contend that her signature on numerous fraudulent documents with Joe (including $5 million worth of falsified bank loan application) made her equally guilty and deserving of jail time as her husband.

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