Teresa Giudice Fraud Case: Will Joe Take the Fall?

Teresa Giudice is standing by her
husband throughout their legal
entanglements, and he may
reward her by taking the fall,
according to reports.
The Real Housewives of New
Jersey stars are staring at up to
50 years in prison, but has made
it clear that she and Joe Giudice
are a united front.
“I support Joe,” she said after
her indictment on 39 criminal
charges. “As a wonderful
husband and father, I know he
wants only the best for our
daughters and me.”
The Giudices could be in very
deep trouble for crimes that
range from mail and bank fraud
to lying about their income when
applying for bankruptcy.
They surrendered to authorities
this week and are free on bail.
Love, family and commitment
aside, her loyalty could be a
calculated move, as insiders say
he may try to protect his wife as
much as he can in their trial.
“My guess is that Joe will take
some sort of a plea to lessen or
remove anything from his wife,”
said Monica Chacon, an attorney
familiar with Giudice.
Chacon represented Giudice’s
former business partner in a
2007 case, in which Joe
Mastropole sued the couple and
Teresa was absolved of any
wrongdoing.
Despite her signature appearing
on several documents, Joe was
willing to accept responsibility for
forging her signature and got
her off the hook.
Joe answered that he "might
have” signed crucial pieces of
evidence in her name and
continued to insist that Teresa
had nothing to do with his
business dealings.
Teresa adds, “I wasn’t involved
in their business… I never went
to a closing. I never signed any
papers. [If] my name is on a lot
of properties, it is news to me.”
But the plaintiff, Mastropole,
insisted The Real Housewives of
New Jersey stars were lying to
help her get off, and says it may
happen again here.
“Any mortgages she got, she
knew darn well and she signed
those mortgages. You know,
[Teresa and Joe] are very good
actors. They should be on HBO.”
How effectively he can shield her
and how strong the evidence
against the duo is this time
remain open questions as the
case moves through federal
court.