Teresa Giudice and her husband Joe Giudice were sentenced Thursday for fraud, with Teresa getting a 15-month sentence and Joe seeing a steeper sentence of 41 months.
The two stars of “Real Housewives of New Jersey” were criticized by the judge at the hearing, who told them that “inconsistencies and omissions” in their financial disclosure forms it made it hard for her to
take a lenient approach to their sentencing for bankruptcy and mortgage fraud, NJ.com reported.
Teresa Giudice will serve her sentence first, NJ.com said, reporting on Jan. 5 so that she can spend the holidays with her family. She was also sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay more than $400,000 in restitution.
Before U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas announced Joe Giudice’s sentence, NJ.com said he read a letter to the court: “I stand here humiliated before the court and my family and society. I disgraced many people, including my wife and four daughters. I take full responsibility for my actions. I promise to be a better person."
Although the judge offered Giudice the words, “What you did in this case doesn't define you as a man,” she made it clear that she was frustrated over their disclosure forms.
For instance, she questioned why they valued their home’s contents at $25,000 when it was insured for $1 million, and in previous bankruptcy filings had valued the contents at $60,000, NJ.com said.
"They had an obligation to be transparent and candid and open with the court and I don't think I got that," Salas said. "I want to understand the disconnect."
Teresa Giudice’s sentence had called for a minimum of 21 to 27 months, according to TMZ, but the reality star begged the court for no jail time.
In documents filed before today’s hearing, Teresa Giudice asked the judge to consider the couple’s four young daughters, and to understand that her role on "Real Housewives of New Jersey" was scripted.
"The image is little more than a carefully crafted fiction, engineered by Bravo TV through scripted lines and clever editing," TMZ quoted the court documents.
Teresa Giudice had expressed concern their four daughters would have to be split up if both sentences were served at the same time because relatives couldn’t take all four.