Teresa, One of New Jersey’s Real Housewives began her 15-month prison sentence for fraud on Jan. 5. While the ‘RHONJ’ star had many fears about her prison time, she was ‘very strong’ upon her arrival.
Teresa Giudice surrendered at the Federal Correction Institution in Connecticut at about 03:00 on Monday to begin serving a 15-month sentence for bankruptcy fraud, her attorney said.
Giudice’s last meal before turning herself in was at a 24-hour diner near the facility, according to attorney James Leonard, who drove the Real Housewives of New Jersey star from her home in northern New Jersey to the prison, about 90 minutes north of New York City.
Giudice and her husband, Giuseppe “Joe” Giudice, pleaded guilty last year to hiding assets from bankruptcy creditors and submitting phony loan applications to get some $5m in mortgages and construction loans. Joe Giudice also pleaded guilty to failing to pay taxes totalling more than $200 000.
Under terms of their plea agreements, Joe Giudice will start serving his 41-month sentence when Teresa Giudice is released, an arrangement aimed at ensuring the couple’s four daughters will have one parent at home at all times.
Joe Giudice, born in Italy, is not an American citizen and faces an immigration hearing when he completes his sentence and is expected to be deported. His attorney has said Giudice came to the US as an infant and didn’t know he wasn’t an American citizen until he was an adult.
Attorneys said that under federal sentencing rules, Teresa Giudice could be eligible to be released by next December, and also could spend the last month or so of her sentence at a halfway house or under some form of home monitoring.
The hardest part of it all for Teresa is the fact that she is going to be spending time away from her daughters.
Before Teresa headed behind bars, she celebrated her daughter, Gia Giudice‘s 14th birthday early. This is especially sweet of her because we know Gia considers her mom her “best friend,” and has subtly revealed how much she will miss her. The soon to be 14-year-old also posted an emotional tweet about how her “support system is unreal.”
