Trial on fraud charges set for 'Real Housewives' star Teresa Giudice and her husband

NEWARK — The two reality TV stars kept to the script.

They said nothing.

Appearing in a crowded courtroom before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark, Teresa and Joe Giudice — whose lives are featured in the hit Bravo television series "Real Housewives of New Jersey" — both entered "not guilty" pleas Wednesday as they were arraigned on a litany of federal fraud charges that could send them to prison for years.

Both sat silently while their attorneys spoke for them during a proceeding that lasted less than five minutes. Teresa Giudice looked downward as Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Romankow outlined the charges in the 39-count indictment against them. Her husband, seated to her right, stared straight ahead.

The judge set a preliminary trial date of Oct. 8, although that date is expected to slip because of the complexity of the case.

The Giudices are charged with conspiring to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars in mortgages and other loans that apparently helped finance a lavish lifestyle, while hiding significant assets and income during a two-year bankruptcy proceeding.

Separately, Joe Giudice, 43, is accused of failing to file tax returns from 2004 to 2008 on nearly $1 million of income. And in a separate state case, he also faces charges of falsely obtaining a driver’s license.

He could be deported to Italy if found guilty on any one of the federal or state charges. A criminal conviction of an immigrant — even one living legally in the country — carries with it the threat of deportation. Giudice — identified in the indictment as "Giuseppe" — came to this country with his parents as a 1-year-old child, but never became a U.S. citizen.

With hands locked together and their heads turned away from a crush of media as they entered the courthouse for their arraignment Wednesday afternoon, the couple ignored a series of shouted questions and screams from a contingent of fans.

Teresa Giudice, 41, her black hair pinned back in a bun, sported a beige suit, a white blouse and a serious expression — losing the smile she flashed last month when she came to court for her initial appearance after her indictment.

Her husband, who had shoved a TV cameraman out of his way at their last appearance, this time kept his hands to himself.

Key players in a television series about an extended family that never seems to stop fighting with each other, the couple resides in a 10,000-square-foot house in the Towaco section of Montville that features six bedrooms, a gourmet kitchen, and a master bath with a fireplace.

Teresa Giudice, who parlayed her TV fame into a specialty food line and a series of best-selling cookbooks, is portrayed on the show as a loud-mouthed woman with expensive tastes, spending lavishly on furniture, clothes, and toys for their four daughters.

But in October 2009, citing $10.85 million in debt, Giudice and her husband filed for bankruptcy just as their TV careers began to take off — a decision that has since come to haunt them, with allegations they tried to conceal assets, including three vehicles, a boat and a $280,000 advance for Teresa Guidice’s best-selling cookbook "Skinny Italian."

While the bankruptcy petition was later withdrawn, the U.S. Attorney’s Office began an investigation. According to federal prosecutors, the couple lied to banks, the IRS and the bankruptcy court — telling lenders they were earning income that did not exist, while not telling the government that about the money they were receiving as their success grew.