"Real Housewives of New Jersey" cast member Teresa Giudice and her husband Giuseppe "Joe" Giudice returned to the U.S. District Court in Newark, N.J., and pleaded "not guilty" to federal fraud charges. Neither defendant spoke during the proceedings, which reportedly lasted less than five minutes.
The two are currently out on $500,000 bail each, reports the Los Angeles Times. The trial date is set for October 8, but will likely be pushed back to 2014 "due to the complex nature of the case" (read: there are a TON of charges). Joe is also due in Passaic County court, for using his brother's identity when procuring his driver's license.
The prosecution's claims relate back to not filing tax reforms, exaggerating wealth when applying for loans, and concealing wealth when filing for bankruptcy, which the couple did in 2009, claiming they owed "$11 million, including $2.2 million in mortgages, $13,000 to Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, and nearly $12,000 to a fertility clinic."
If convicted, the Giudices will face hundreds of years in prison, not to mention millions in fines. Joe could be deported, as he arrived in the country from Italy at the age of 2, and is not an American citizen.
In the meantime, Joe's attorney Miles Feinsten told his client "to continue life as they've lived it." "They have contracts with Bravo and others," Feinstein said, "And they shouldn't imprison themselves." We're wondering if maybe he doesn't watch the show...
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