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Teresa Giudice Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison
Joe Giudice also received 41 months in federal prison for fraud.
Teresa and Joe Giudice appeared in a federal courthouse in Newark, New Jersey Thursday to receive sentencing, after pleading guilty to conspiracy and bankruptcy fraud charges in March.
Judge Esther Salas sentenced Joe to 41 months in federal prison, according to the Newark Star-Ledger, followed by two years of probation. Later this afternoon, Teresa was handed a sentence of 15 months in prison. The Ledger also reports Joe must pay more than $414,000 in restitution. The couple's sentences will be staggered, with Teresa set to serve first, according to ABC.
Prior to sentencing, Joe apologized for his actions. "I stand here humiliated before the court and my family and society," he told the court, according to the Newark Star Ledger. "I disgraced many people, including my wife and four daughters. I take full responsibility for my actions. I promise to be a better person."
Teresa also apologized to the court, the Ledger reports: "I am more sorry than anyone will ever know," she said.
The couple pleaded guilty to hiding assets from bankruptcy creditors and submitting false applications for mortgages and construction loans, according to the AP.
For Teresa, her family has been her top priority over this past year. After the couple pleaded guilty to the charges in March, she said, "I am heartbroken that this is affecting my family. Especially my four young daughters, who mean more to me than anything in the world."
Teresa also opened up about the family's legal issues when she sat down with Andy Cohen exclusively to discuss the case earlier this year. "I am not crawling under a rock and hiding," she said. "That's not me. I am still going to be the person who I am today and the day I go to court, when we resolve this, everyone will see who Joe and I really are. I am not just running away."
She hasn't been alone—Teresa says she's been leaning on the support of her brother Joe and sister-in-law Melissa. "I love her, I love my brother," she said. "That's all that matters."
Watch Teresa's interview with Andy Cohen from earlier this year below.
[video_clip_url:http://player.theplatform.com/p/PHSl-B/yT7k3t_YLXoZ/embed/select/44VnAc3HXXPr]
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[Sources: AP, Newark Star Ledger, ABC]
