Teresa Giudice has steadily been making progress to settle her debts after she was served a $17,000 tax lien.
“Ms. Giudice has been aware of her tax obligations for years and makes significant timely monthly payments towards her outstanding tax liabilities and will continue to do so until those liabilities do not exist,” the Real Housewives of New Jersey star’s attorney James J. Leonard Jr. told Page Six on Thursday, June 1.
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Giudice, 51, was notified of the lien in April. She has an unpaid balance of $1,096,012.14, per the records.
The Bravo personality and ex-husband Joe Giudice were previously indicted on multiple counts of tax fraud in 2013. Teresa and the 51-year-old Italy native — who share four daughters — both pleaded guilty to their respective charges, including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and three types of bankruptcy fraud. Teresa was sentenced to 11 months in federal prison, while Joe served 41 months behind bars.
“The girls are really upset. You know, it’s hard for them,” Teresa told Good Morning America in November 2018 of how her daughters dealt with their parents’ legal battle. “Adults can handle anything. It’s hard for children to go through this. They’re asking themselves, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ Like, ‘I want my daddy to come home.’”
After Joe’s March 2019 release, he was deported to Italy. Us confirmed in December 2019 that the couple separated.
“Teresa and Joe talked about their future when she and the girls were in Italy and decided it was best for them to separate,” a source exclusively told Us at the time. “Neither of them wanted to be in a long-distance relationship. Joe has been dating in Italy, Teresa is busy taking care of their girls right now. They harbor no ill will toward each other and will continue to coparent their kids. The girls will be going to Italy in December, Teresa will be staying home.”
Teresa and Joe finalized their divorce in September 2020 before she moved on with Luis “Louie” Ruelas. The Standing Strong author and Ruelas, 49, wed in August 2022 and have continued to coparent with Joe.
“I called him, basically just let him know that everything’s gonna be OK — that we’re a team,” Ruelas told Us in May, noting that he spoke to Joe on the morning of his and Teresa’s nuptials. “It felt right to call him and talk to him, because he’s a good father. He definitely makes lemonade outta lemons, and it’s something that people don’t see out there. And I just wanted to acknowledge that for him.”
The Digital Media Solutions executive explained to Joe — who lives in the Bahamas — that he planned to be “all hands on deck” with his stepdaughters. (Ruelas also shares sons Nicholas and Louie Jr. with his ex-wife, Marisa Dimartino Ruelas.)
