The Real Housewives of New Jersey's Teresa Giudice and her husband, Joe Giudice, are close to getting out of bankruptcy. According to new reports, the reality TV stars had their 2009 case dismissed by a United States bankruptcy judge on Friday. While that doesn't necessarily mean that they're officially in the clear yet, it's a beneficial step forward -- one that could likely get them out of their bankruptcy. But there will still be a few things they need to do before they're officially put their money troubles behind them in the court of law. Here's what we know about Joe and Teresa Giudice's money situation.
Before they're officially in the clear, Joe and Teresa Giudice will need to pay back both the IRS and the New Jersey Department of Treasury, according to Page Six. In 2014, the Giudices were convicted of 39 counts of bankruptcy fraud, as well as conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and failing to pay taxes stemming from the bankruptcy. They were forced to put up $50,000 in bonds.
In 2015, Joe and Teresa Giudice were accused of trying to hide their fortune in their bankruptcy filing. They pleaded to both charges after the reality TV stars initially plead not guilty. Because of their crimes, Teresa Giudice spent close to a year in prison. She was still able to film a season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey in the intervening time before her sentence, however. Meanwhile, Joe Giudice is still serving time. He won't be released until March of next year, under a 41-month sentence. Nevertheless, the judge noted that Teresa Giudice has a payment plan in place for her payments to both the IRS and the Department of Treasury. So, things are looking up, it seems, for the Bravo television stars.
Joe and Teresa Giudice haven't released any statement regarding the current state of their bankruptcy, although The Real Housewives of New Jersey star did discuss the sentencing, alongside her husband, during an interview with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live! a couple years earlier. Regardless, when Teresa is back on her reality TV series, we're sure we'll hear all about it and more.
Teresa Giudice isn't the only Real Housewives star to wind up in trouble lately. In December, Luann "The Countess" De Lesseps was arrested for disorderly intoxication in Palm Beach, FL. She hasn't been afraid to discuss the matter, even though it is fairly embarrassing, joking about it on stage, admitting that she messed up and that she's trying to get her life back in order by living sober and healthier. The video of the incident leaked online, though, if you're curious enough to see it. In any case, we'll continue to keep you posed on the latest developments in the worlds of Real Housewives.
