Why was Teresa Giudice imprisoned for a year? 'RHONJ' star was involved in fraud cases along with husband Joe
The year 2014 was an extremely difficult year for 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star Teresa Giudice, as that was the year when the housewife's life changed forever.
Teresa and her former husband Joe Giudice were involved in a major legal mess. They both pleaded guilty to 41 counts of fraud, including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and three types of bankruptcy fraud. Teresa served 11 months in federal prison in 2015, while Joe served 41 months until March 2019.
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At the time, she told 'Watch What Happens live with Andy Cohen' show host Andy Cohen that she had to make it for the family. "I can’t fall apart. I have my daughters. They mean the world to me." The reality star had appeared on the show along with her husband.
“You go through things in life. I don't know why, I'm asking, 'Why is this happening to me?'," she had said, "Maybe something my daughters can learn from this is: My mom was really strong through all this. She was there for us. I hope they always have that with them."
While Teresa was in prison, a spin-off show called 'Teresa Checks In' premiered. It was a three-part television special that chronicled the life of the Giudice family and how its members dealt with the aftermath of Teresa being sentenced to prison.
Teresa has also been very vocal about her harrowing experience of being imprisoned. In a 2016 interview with ABC, following her release from prison, Teresa compared her time in prison to "living in hell".
"I mean there was mold in the bathrooms. There was no running water constantly. The showers were freezing cold ... I mean, the living conditions were really horrible. Like, horrible. There were some nights that we didn't even have heat ... It was -- it was hell," the housewife shared. She even worked in the prison's kitchen for 12 cents an hour.
During her time in prison, Teresa developed a deep passion for yoga. The housewife went on to become a certified yoga instructor. Teresa served 11 and a half months of a 15-month sentence. Teresa's attorney revealed that she was released early for good behavior. Teresa documented her experiences of being in prison in her memoir 'Turning the Tables: From Housewife to Inmate and Back Again'. Since then, the housewife has managed to piece back her life together and is currently living her best life with her daughters and new boyfriend- Luis 'Louie' Ruelas.
'Real Housewives of New Jersey' is all set to premiere on Wednesday, February 17, at 9 pm ET/PT.