‘Real Housewives’ of NJ stars charged with mail, bank, wire fraud

The Justice Department announced Monday it’s charging two stars of Bravo’s reality show “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” with conspiracy to defraud lenders, illegally obtaining mortgages and hiding assets in a bankruptcy case.

{mosads}In a 39-count indictment, the DOJ accused Teresa Giudice and her husband, Giuseppe Giudice, with conspiracy to commit mail, wire and bank fraud in a scheme to defraud lenders, making false statements on loan and bankruptcy documents and failure to file tax returns over a four-year period when the couple allegedly earned nearly $1 million.

“The indictment today alleges the Guidices lied to the bankruptcy court, to the IRS and to a number of banks,” U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said in a statement. “Everyone has an obligation to tell the truth when dealing with the courts, paying their taxes and applying for loans or mortgages. That’s reality.”

“The Real Housewives of New Jersey” aired its fifth season finale on Sunday night.