Teresa Giudice Believes She Was 'Used as an Example' for Fraud Charge Jail Time: 'Most Devastating Thing'

Teresa Giudice believes she may not have served any jail time had she not been a public figure.

While appearing on a panel at BravoCon 2022 on Friday, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star recounted her 11-month jail sentence for fraud charges relating to her ex-husband, Joe Giudice's bankruptcy fraud.

Teresa — who has maintained that she didn't know about Joe's fraud — shared her thoughts on her jail time, and why she thinks things would've played out differently if she wasn't on the Bravo show.

"I got used as an example. What's the saying? The good comes with the bad. Meaning, like, because I was on TV — if I was just a regular housewife, I probably wouldn't have went to jail," Teresa, 50, said on Bravo's Most Golden Moments Power Hour: Presented by Lay's panel beside Dorinda Medley, Jill Zarin and Karen Huger.

Teresa noted that she didn't expect to be found complicit. "Joe was telling them, 'She has nothing to do with it.' He told me, 'Damn, they want you more than they want me!' And he was the one who did it."

"I was just going through the motions," she added. "I really thought nothing was going to happen and when I was in court and when the judge said I was going to jail, I was like, 'What!?' I said to my lawyer, 'What did she just say? Am I going to jail?' And he said, 'Yeah.' I was shocked."

Teresa still has strong emotions about the prison time, which saw her behind bars for nearly a year before her now-ex-husband, Joe, served 41 months and was later deported.

"It was the most devastating thing in my entire life. Just [think of] leaving your four daughters. My heart is just beating just talking about it," she said.

RELATED VIDEO: Joe Giudice Says He Knew His Marriage Was Over When Teresa Refused to Share Bed with Him

In terms of what advice she has for other Housewives who are facing legal issues, she quipped, "Make sure your husband's filing taxes."

"The government came knocking on my door. They were like, 'Is your husband home?' And right away I gave him an attitude because I thought everything was perfect. He was like, 'Your husband hasn't filed taxes in 10 years.' I was like, 'What?'" she recalled.

"So be on top of everything," Teresa added. "Talk to the accountant, make sure you're filing tax forms. I used to ask, 'Don't I need to sign taxes?' And he'd be like, 'Don't worry about it, don't worry about it.'"

Teresa and Joe, 50, finalized their divorce in 2020 after 20 years of marriage. Joe now lives in the Bahamas, as the Italian native was deported from America following his fraud sentence. They share four daughters: Audriana, 13, Milania, 16, Gabriella, 18, and Gia, 21.

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In August 2022, Teresa got remarried to Luis Ruelas.