UPDATE 4:53 PM:
Teresa Giudice has officially been sentenced to 15 months in prison.
The reality TV star delivered a tear-filled apology to the judge ruling over her case, saying her children are “my life.”
“I am more sorry than anyone will ever know,” she told the judge. “I deeply love my family. My four daughters are my life.”
“I’m scared,” she said. “I’m not going to deny it. I’m really scared.”
Like her husband, Teresa accepted full responsibility for her part in the crimes the couple committed.
“I fully take responsibility for my actions. I will make this right,” she said. “I need to learn to do things for myself, I need to wake up.”
Unfortunately the prosecution wasn’t interested in apologies, saying, “She’s thumbed her nose at the court and now she wants sympathy. It’s business as usual.”
Judge Esther Salas denied requests from Teresa’s lawyer for a “downward departure,” which would have lessened her sentence and opened up the possibility of house arrest. Salas did, however, agree to allow Teresa and Joe to serve out their sentences separately, allowing at least one parent to be with their four children. “I want you home with your girls,” Salas said.
Teresa was charged with 12 additional months of jail time for separate charges, but she will not serve that time. In addition to his 41-month sentence and the $414,588 restitution Joe was ordered to pay, the court has ordered that he pay an additional $10,000 in fines.
—
Real Housewives of New Jersey star Giuseppe “Joe” Giudice was sentenced to 41 months in prison today.
His wife, Teresa Giudice, is still awaiting sentencing in Newark, N.J. Fox News reports that a federal judge discussed the possibility of staggering the couple’s sentences to allow one parent to care for their four young children at all times.
In addition to his lengthy prison sentence, Joe was ordered to pay $414,000 in restitution.
According to reports, Judge Esther Salas slammed the couple for their failure to disclose all of their assets in a pre-sentencing report. According to Salas, the pair didn’t include any of the recreational vehicles they own. Salas did, however, give Joe some credit for helping to rebuild after Superstorm Sandy ravaged much of New Jersey.
Joe released a brief statement apologizing for his actions.
Both Joe and Teresa have admitted to hiding assets from bankruptcy creditors and submitting fake loan applications to acquire more than $5 million in mortgages and construction loans.
The couple pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and three different types of bankruptcy fraud. Joe also admitted to failing to file his taxes in 2004 and acknowledged that he didn’t file taxes on his income of more than $1 million between 2004 and 2008.
There is no word yet on when Teresa will be sentenced.
SOURCE: Fox, AP, Radar Online | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
