Teresa Giudice’s book “Fabulicious on the Grill.” (FilmMagic)
(FilmMagic)
Get ready for “The Real Housewives of the Federal Pen.”
Bravo reality star Teresa Giudice, 41, and her thuggish hubby Joe, 43, were indicted on multiple tax, mail and wire fraud charges yesterday — and now face up to 55 years in the slammer.
Newark federal prosecutors yesterday said that, from 2001 to 2008, the limelight-loving, lavish-living duo bilked four banks out of nearly $5 million in mortgages using fake tax forms and other bogus paperwork.
Table-flipping Teresa — the loudmouth lead of Bravo’s “Real Housewives of New Jersey” — personally concealed the income she made from the show, as well as what she raked in for Web site sales and personal and magazine appearances, prosecutors said.
During the alleged seven-year swindle, the Giudices lied to a bankruptcy court, hid assets, falsified loan applications, and — in Joe’s case — failed to file tax returns for an alleged $1 million in income, according to the 39-count indictment.
“The Giudices lied to the bankruptcy court, to the IRS and to a number of banks,” said US Attorney Paul Fishman. “Everyone has an obligation to tell the truth when dealing with the courts, paying their taxes and applying for loans or mortgages.”
“That’s the reality.”
The couple, who have four daughters, are due to appear in Newark federal court today.
A Bravo rep said the network had “no comment.”
According to the feds, the long-running alleged scheme began in 2001, when an unemployed Teresa got a $121,500 mortgage after falsely claiming she had a job as a $45,000-a-year executive assistant, and “submitted fake W-2 forms and fake pay stubs” from a non-existent employer.
According to the complaint:
A similar scenario played out for several more years, with Teresa beefing up her bogus positions each time — even though she was “in fact, unemployed.”
In 2004, she claimed to be the owner of a stucco firm, making $177,000 a year, and falsified documents to land a $20,000 loan.
In 2005, she got a $141,550 mortgage using similar claims.
By November 2005, Teresa and Joe filed “false and fraudulent tax returns” and got themselves an $800,000 construction loan.
The couple went back to the till again in 2006, 2007 and 2008, for loans and mortgages totaling nearly $3.8 million, according to prosecutors.
In all, the Giudices allegedly defrauded banks of $4,641,612.
The couple filed for bankruptcy in October 2009, a year after Bravo announced the first season of Teresa’s reality gig.
The Giudices “intentionally concealed” businessses they owned, income from a rental property and Teresa’s true payout from “Real Houswives,” prosecutors said.
They also hid their anticipated income increase from the show’s second season, documents allege.
NJ 'Real Housewives' stars indicted on fraud by New York Post