Joe Giudice Rejects Plea Deal, 'Real Housewives' Star Fighting Charges
Joe Giudice has reportedly rejected a plea deal recently presented by prosecutors in a fraud case stemming from a 2010 incident.
The father of four is accused of using his brother's marriage documents and birth certificate to obtain a license at the Paterson motor vehicle office in 2010. Subsequently he is charged with one count of wrongfully using identifying information of another, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and one count of impersonation,which can carry up to 18 months in prison. Prosecutors offered Giudice, 40, a plea deal Monday.
"Today (April 1) the state offered him NJ State Prison, and we rejected that offer. Instead, we set a trial scheduling hearing for May 28, since we're rejecting the new plea offer," Giudice's attorney Miles Feinstein told In Touch magazine.
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"Joe is being treated differently. He shouldn't have to do any jail time for this," Feinstein continued. "The best outcome for this will be we win the case and he doesn't do any time at all."
Giudice, who is the husband of "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa, was reportedly pulled over by law enforcement during a routine traffic stop. At the time his own license was reportedly suspended.
"They didn't even catch me driving ... They came to my house and said you're driving with your brother's license and then they got me with some kind of stupid charge," Giudice insisted on the hit Bravo reality show.
Teresa, 40, has previously maintained her husband's innocence and vowed to support him throughout the case. If convicted, Giudice could serve up to a decade behind bars.
"Today they offered Joe four years in NJ State Prison instead of the 10 year sentence that goes with this crime," a Giudice family insider confirmed.
The incident is not the first legal problem that the Giudices have faced.
In 2009 the pair filed for bankruptcy with relation to an $11 million debt. This was dealt with on the the "Real Housewives" show.
