'Real Housewives Of New Jersey' Star, Husband Indicted On New Charges
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa Giudice and her husband were indicted Monday on additional fraud charges.
Back in July, Teresa Guidice and her husband, Giuseppe "Joe" Giudice, pleaded not guilty to a 39-count indictment alleging mail and wire fraud.
On Monday, they were hit with a new count of bank fraud, as well as one count of loan application fraud.
Investigators said the couple prepared a mortgage loan application falsely stating that Teresa Giudice worked as a real estate agent.
In the earlier indictment, the couple was accused of exaggerating their income while applying for loans before their TV show debuted in 2009 and then hiding their fortunes in a bankruptcy filing after their first season aired.
Authorities allege the couple submitted fraudulent mortgage and other loan applications from 2001 to 2008, a year before their show debuted on Bravo. Prosecutors said the couple submitted fake W-2s, tax returns and bank account information to lenders.
Prosecutors also allege the Giudices received about $4.6 million in mortgages, withdrawals from home equity lines of credit and construction loans.
Joe Giudice also failed to file tax returns from 2004 to 2008, when he is alleged to have earned nearly $1 million, prosecutors said.
During that time, his income allegedly fluctuated wildly; the indictment states he made $323,481 in 2005 and $26,194 in 2006.
In their 2009 bankruptcy filing, the couple said they were $11 million in debt. They stated their monthly take-home pay was $16,583, but $10,000 was from "monthly assistance from family members" and Bravo income.
It also said they owed $2.2 million in mortgages, $13,000 to Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom and nearly $12,000 to a fertility clinic.
The most serious charges the couple face, bank fraud and loan application fraud, carry a maximum potential penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Joe Giudice could be deported to Italy if convicted because he's not a U.S. citizen. The trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 8.
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