Teresa Giudice Thought Legal Troubles With Ex Joe Were a ‘Joke’ at First

While appearing on her daughter Gia Giudice‘s Casual Chaos podcast, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star admitted she didn’t take the charges they were facing seriously enough.

“When it all happened, I didn’t know. I thought it was all a joke. For me anyway,” Teresa said during the May 12 episode. “With your father, obviously I knew. For the government to come knocking on your door, there was something going on.”

Teresa and Joe filed for bankruptcy in 2009, citing an $11 million debt. Five years later, they were indicted on fraud charges, eventually pleading guilty.

“I was never arrested, never handcuffed, never shackled,” she added. “Thank you, God. At least that was one good thing.”

Teresa did spend time behind bars, however — 11 months to be exact — after initially being sentenced to 15 months on fraud charges.

Joe, meanwhile, served 41 months in prison before being deported back to his native Italy.

“I recently found out, now, that I thought I bought a house. I thought I bought two houses, because I really wasn’t really paying attention to the whole thing,” Teresa said. “I guess stupid of me, but not really, because I wasn’t involved in your father’s business. I thought it was all a joke.”

At the time, Teresa thought Joe was using her credit to buy a house because he was flipping homes. It wasn’t until recently, she revealed, that she asked Joe for more clarity.

“He’s like, ‘You didn’t even buy a house, Tre.’ He’s like, ‘We refinanced a property I had.’ I was like, ‘What?’ I went to jail for refinancing a house,” she added. “I’m, like, ‘Why did you make me sign those papers that day?’ … So that’s what I went to jail for.”

She continued, “I put my my signature on papers. Whatever numbers were on those papers were incorrect. That’s considered fraud. From now on, never sign papers unless you know what you’re signing.”

Teresa said she “never thought” she she’d go to jail “in a million years,” and was convinced she hadn’t done anything wrong.

“I didn’t do anything. I was like, ‘All right, I’m not involved in my husband’s business. I didn’t do anything wrong.’ I was really cocky about it,” she admitted.

“I cooperated, I did whatever they told me to do,” Teresa said, after realizing the role she played in the situation.

The worst part? Being away from her family, namely her mother and father and her and Joe’s four daughters, Gia 24, Gabrielle, 21, Milania, 19 and Audriana, 15.

Teresa and Joe went on to divorce in 2020, with the reality star marrying Luis Ruelas in August 2022 — with whom she is again rumored to be having legal troubles after PEOPLE obtained records in March that suggested Teresa and Luis accumulated a $3 million tax debt.

Gia quelled the concerns on her podcast, telling listeners in an episode at the time, “I’m sure you all have seen the news.”

“My mom has been the sole provider for my sisters and I since the minute my father left for prison,” she continued. “She has been working her a– off to make sure that my sisters and I live a stable life and that my family is financially stable.”

“Like, I can’t stress enough how much my mom has worked,” Gia added. “Everything will be resolved. My mom has everything under control and there’s nothing to worry about.”

The 24-year-old continued, “My stepdad, Luis, is the most amazing stepfather. He treats my sisters and I like we are his own. He is also working on getting everything resolved, as well. But there’s nothing to worry about. Everything’s going to be fine. But thank you for your concern.”