In The Clear! Fraud Charges Against Teresa Giudice's Husband Joe DISMISSED – How Lucky Can They Get?
May 13 2014, Published 3:26 p.m. ET
Just one week after Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice's was dismissed as a defendant in a fraud lawsuit filed by former business partner, Joe Mastropole, RadarOnline.com has learned that the balance of lawsuit against husband, Joe, was also thrown out, and the couple is now off the hook entirely!
The lawsuit alleged that Joe forged Mastropole’s signature on mortgage documents for an apartment building they owned together. Mastropole’s name was taken off the mortgage when Joe refinanced the property, but Joe didn’t ever give him the $260,000 he was owed, according to the lawsuit.
Now, Judge Kenneth Slowmienski of the Superior court in New Jersey has dismissed the case in its entirety.
READ: The Jaw-Dropping List Of The Giudices’ Debts
"This is a HUGE victory for the Giudice family and for their ongoing criminal case that is taking new turns by the day," the couple's legal coach and crisis manager, Wendy Feldman told RadarOnline.com exclusively.
Feldman added that the reality stars’ lawyer, Michael De Marco, prevailed on a very important piece of the puzzle, as Mastropole had been seeking civil and punitive damages.
But the Giudices are not in the clear yet. Teresa still could be facing 27 months in prison, while her husband Joe could get 46 months behind bars after pleading guilty to nine counts of mail, wire, bank and bankruptcy fraud that were brought against them in March.
GALLERY: The Giudice’s 30 Most Shocking Quotes About Fraud & Finances
As RadarOnline.com has reported, Giudice’s looming sentencing hearing will likely delay the premiere for the upcoming season of the Real Housewives of New Jersey.
“Teresa’s legal team absolutely won’t let her do any interviews before the sentencing hearing because it could impact her sentence,” an insider said. “If Teresa was out doing press interviews promoting RHONJ before the July 8 sentencing, it would look like she wasn’t taking the process seriously, which she definitely is. After the sentence is handed down, it’s expected Bravo will officially give Season Six a premiere date.”
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Until the sentencing hearing, “Teresa and Joe will be keeping a very low profile… They are getting ready for the July sentencing date, and just spending time with their family,” the source added. “Family is everything to Teresa and she is trying to keep things as normal as possible for her daughters.”
