The Real Housewives of New Jersey may reportedly be canceled by Bravo in light of the fact its biggest star Teresa Giudice and her husband Giuseppe "Joe" Giudice are battling a 39-count federal fraud indictment.
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"Nobody wants to see their talent in this kind of a situation," a network source told the New York Daily News, explaining that nothing good could come for the network from all the bad publicity surrounding the Giudices.
Federal authorities in Newark, NJ, announced on Monday the Giudices were being charged with "conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, making false statements on loan applications, and bankruptcy fraud," according to The Star-Ledger.
The indictment also charges Joe with failure to file tax returns between 2004 and 2008, a period during which he allegedly made $1 million. Sources claim Teresa and Joe could face up to 50 years in prison and receive whopping fines if convicted of all the charges.
The couple's messy legal situation has also reportedly put the kibosh on Teresa's hopes the couple may get their own spinoff reality show on Bravo. Teresa has allegedly been pitching the idea to the network for months now.
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"They are not interested," an insider told the Daily News. "Bravo only spins off happy situations -- marriages, baby news. Not prison."
Bravo reportedly declined comment on the speculation.
Teresa -- who also appeared on The Celebrity Apprentice's fifth season -- and Joe both showed up to federal court in Newark on Tuesday morning for a hearing on the multiple fraud charges, E! News reported, and were reportedly released on $500,000 unsecured bail bonds each.
The couple, who insist they're being targeted by the government because of their celebrity status, is reportedly due back in court for another hearing later this month.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski