Teresa Giudice Has Been Sentenced

After her husband's sentencing came in earlier in the day, it has been reported that Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice has been sentenced to 15 months in jail. The Giudices appeared in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, on Thursday. Only hours earlier, her husband, Joe Giudice, was sentenced to 41 months in prison and $414,000 in restitution fines with a possibility of deportation to Italy after he serves his sentence. While Joe has lived in the U.S. since he was 1, he never became an official American citizen.

If you haven't been following the story, the Giudices pled guilty to "various fraud and tax charges" — four for Teresa and five for Joe — in March. The couple's sentencing was originally scheduled for July 8, but was pushed back twice to October 2.

As for Teresa's sentencing, the outcome for her jail time was actually a bit less than what was expected. According to NJ.com,

The fraud charges together carry a maximum penalty of 35 years in prison and $1 million in fines, but under federal sentencing guidelines, Joe’s recommended sentence was 37 to 46 months; Teresa’s, 27 months.

According to E! News, the judge who sentenced the Giudices, Esther Salas, said that Teresa will serve her time first so that Joe can stay with the couple's four daughters, Gia, Gabriella, Milania, and Audriana, who range in age from 5 to 13.

Additionally, NorthJersey.com reports that Teresa, like her husband, read a letter in front of the court saying,

I fully take responsibility for my actions. I deeply love my family... My four daughters are my life ... I wrote this last night because I knew I was going to be nervous... I'm scared, I'm not going to deny it, I'm really scared ... I have heard you. I need to live to do things for myself. It's time for me to wake up... I will make this right no matter what it takes.