It’s been four months since The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice began her 15-month prison sentence for fraud, and since that time the media has been more active than usual with their “inside scoops” on all that was going on with Teresa and her family. Among the rumors are reports that Teresa had met with a divorce attorney, she’s been alienating fellow inmates with her diva behavior, she’s getting out of prison early, her mansion is in foreclosure, and she is (and isn’t) coming back to RHONJ. Teresa’s attorney has apparently had enough as he talked with People to clear up all of these rumors and more!
“There’s a lot of bad information out there,” James J. Leonard, Jr. says. “Every day there is another story out there about her and every day the stories are wrong.” Here is a summary of the clarifications made by Mr. Leonard:
When will Teresa Giudice get out of prison?
There is currently a deal in place that means Teresa Giudice will get out of prison three months early on December 23. There had been reports that Joe Giudice had torpedoed the deal with things he said during a meeting with federal investigators, but Leonard says that story is false and the early release deal is still in place. “That means Teresa will leave the prison on December 23 and go home and sleep in her own bed,” Leonard stated. “Two days later she will wake up and celebrate Christmas with Joe and her girls.” He did clarify that Teresa will be under house arrest until February of 2016.
Has Teresa Giudice spoken with a divorce attorney since going to prison?
Leonard is pretty clear on this one. “I can state unequivocally that I am the only lawyer that Teresa has met with since she has been in prison,” Leonard says. “While we have discussed many things, we have never discussed her divorcing Joe. If anything, as bizarre as it may seem, this experience of them being apart has only brought them closer.”
Is Teresa Giudice acting like a diva in prison and alienating her fellow inmates?
Leonard says his client “is surrounded by women from all walks of life, many of whom have violent backgrounds and she has adapted extremely well to her surroundings.” He then points out that if Teresa was having issues in prison, they would get resolved and not just leak to the media. “If you’re in prison and you have problems with another inmate, the other inmate doesn’t anonymously go to a gossip blog and report the problem,” he says. “They step to the inmate and they confront the problem and it gets dealt with one way or another.”
Leonard adds that Teresa “has been a model inmate in every sense of the word” and she hasn’t “had a single incident or infraction since she arrived at Danbury.”
Will Teresa Giudice return to The Real Housewives of New Jersey?
Leonard points out that Teresa Giudice is the biggest star on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, something I doubt even her detractors could argue with. “That’s not to take anything away from any of the other women,” Leonard clarifies, “but Teresa has been the focal point for the last six seasons and I don’t expect that to change moving forward, assuming both sides can agree on a contract.”
What is the current relationship between Teresa Giudice and Melissa Gorga?
Leonard says Teresa and her sister-in-law have their issues and sometimes don’t “see eye-to-eye,” but they don’t hate each other.
Is Joe and Teresa Giudice’s New Jersey mansion in foreclosure?
Leonard’s response to this report seems to leave a bit of wiggle room. “I have been told that Joe is in the process of reconfiguring their mortgage with the bank,” he says. “I do know that the house has been on the market for quite some time. I think they will either refinance their loan and keep the house or they will find a buyer and move into a new house. I do not envision a scenario in which their home will be foreclosed.”
Leonard did not address recent reports that the Giudices’ famous Jersey shore beach house is going up for auction.
How are Teresa Giudice’s children doing since their mom has been in prison?
“They are holding up surprisingly well, but they miss their mother terribly,” Leonard says. “This is a very difficult situation, but this is a very strong family. I know the girls can’t wait to have their mother home.”
