The RUNDOWN; Joe and Teresa Giudice indicted on two more counts of fraud.
(US Weekly)
Make that 41 counts. After being indicted on 39 counts of fraud back in July, Real Housewives of New Jersey stars Teresa and Joe Giudice were indicted on two additional counts of fraud in federal court in Newark, N.J. on Monday, Nov. 18.
Authorities told NJ.com that a federal grand jury has added single counts of bank fraud and loan application fraud against the Giudices. The two new counts reportedly stem from a $361,250 mortgage loan obtained by Teresa, 41, in July 2005. According to authorities, the Bravo star’s loan application allegedly falsely listed Teresa as employed as a realtor earning $15,000 per month.
In regard to the new indictments, Teresa’s lawyer said in a Monday statement to Us Weekly: “As she did with respect to the allegations contained in the original Indictment, Teresa intends to plead ‘not guilty’ to the allegations in the new Indictment. She looks forward to defending herself at the trial, scheduled for February 24, 2014. Beyond that, we will answer all of the charges in court, not out.”
Prosecutor Paul J. Fishman told NJ.com that the original 39 count indictment against the spouses still stands. Teresa and Joe, 43, pleaded not guilty to the federal fraud charges back in August. The New York Daily News reported that Joe’s lawyer, Miles Feinstein, said in court at the time: “They vehemently deny their guilt. There’s an assumption of innocence and they vehemently assert their innocence.”
Following the initial indictment, the Daily News reported that, if convicted on all counts, Teresa and Joe could face up to 50 years in prison.
The arraignment on the new indictment is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 20 at U.S. District Court in Newark.
This is one of the fastest trending news stories on the web right now.
They could face up to 50 years in jail and Joe, who is not an American citizen, could be deported.
What do the new charges mean for the couple? Is the government trying to make an example out of the high-profile couple? If they’re convicted, what kind of sentence can they expect?
Talk to any expert on IRS audits. One of our clients is a CPA who specializes in cases like this one. He can talk about the Giudice case and what the rest of us can learn from it:
Joe Mastriano
CPA — IRS Audit expert
713-774-4467
Joe is also available for Skype interviews.