‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ stars’ hidden lives go public
Tuesday July 30, 2013, 10:21 PM
By VIRGINIA ROHAN
RECORD COLUMNIST
Teresa Giudice dragged her heels about signing the contract that made her one of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.” Today, that seems telling.
“It took me 10 to 11 months to sign. … You couldn’t know how they’re going to portray you, and do you really want your whole life out there?” Teresa told The Record in early May 2009, shortly before the show debuted, adding something that now seems ironic. “But you know what’s great about it? My whole life’s not out there. … What I wanted them to know, they knew.”
Now the world has learned a lot more about Teresa and husband Joe Giudice than they surely ever wanted outsiders to know. The Montville couple were indicted on charges they conspired to defraud banks and other lenders in connection with nearly $4 million in mortgages, construction loans and home equity loans they received between 2001 and 2008. And the pair find themselves living in two different realities: one of wealth and privilege that viewers see on television on Sunday nights, and one of scary possibilities that began to unfold Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Newark.
In the couple’s initial court appearance on a 39-count indictment, U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Walder set bail at $500,000 each and ordered them to surrender their passports. A trial date will be set Aug. 14. Lawyers for both Giudices said they intend to plead not guilty.