Teresa Giudice was greeted with a new Lexus this week after returning from prison. Photo courtesy of New York Daily News.
Summary: Reality star Teresa Giudice returned home from prison this week and was greeted with a new $90,000 Lexus.
They’re calling it “LexusGate.”
This week, New Jersey’s finest, Teresa Giudice, returned from a year-long stint in prison for fraud, and her husband Joe greeted her with a brand new 2016 Lexus LX570, valued at $90,000. The fancy car was waiting in her driveway with a big red bow.
While the gesture seems sweet on the surface, many people are speculating where the money to buy such an extravagant gift came from. The Real Housewife of New Jersey, 43, was convicted for fraud after she and her husband hid assets during their bankruptcy and submitted false documentation. She was sentenced to 15 months in Danbury Prison Connecticut, but she was released early, her timing coinciding with the Christmas holiday.
The Giudice’s lawyer, James J. Leonard, spoke to PEOPLE magazine about the car.
“She needs a car. End of story — just like anyone else who needs a car,” Leonard said.
But the Lexus isn’t just a car. It’s a status symbol of wealth for a family that claims to not have any. Their bankruptcy may have cleared them of debts, but their debtors are still angry and watching. For instance, their former architect, John Fellgraff, 73, told The Daily Mail he was upset by the gift. He had worked with the family for years, and they still owe him $13,000.
‘It’s hard to see all that. I’d love to buy my wife a new Lexus for Christmas. That car costs more than they owe me – it’s a lot of money,” Fellgraff said.
Fellgraff wants to sue the couple for the money they owe, but he has not yet started the legal proceedings.
The extravagant family reunion in Montville, NJ, which has been documented by Bravo who produces her reality show, will be short and sweet. Teresa’s husband, Joe, will begin his 41-month sentencing for fraud in March.
