Teresa Giudice of "The Real Housewives" accused of fraud

Teresa Giudice of "The Real Housewives" accused of fraud

Her husband, Joe Giudice, also faces 39 federal charges for concealing his wealth and borrow with fraudulent data

Two stars of "Real Housewives of New Jersey" were indicted on federal fraud Monday, to exaggerate their income by borrowing before the program was released in 2009, and to hide his wealth to file for bankruptcy after the end of the first season of the series.

Teresa Giudice, 41, and her husband Giuseppe "Joe" Giudice, 43, of Montville Township, were charged with 39 counts of conspiring to commit mail and telecommunications fraud, bank fraud and making false statements to apply for loans and to declare bankruptcy.

The stars of the reality submitted fraudulent loans and mortgages from 2001 to 2008, a year before his debut in the string program Bravo, making false claims about their jobs and wages, the indictment says.

Joe Giudice did not submit their statements of 2004-2008, when he apparently earned about a million dollars, according to the government.

Both will be presented for the first time on Tuesday in court.

Teresa's lawyer, Henry Klingeman, said she will plead not guilty. Joe's lawyer did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Teresa also issued a statement saying, "Today is the hardest day for our family," adding that supports her husband and hopes to solve the case as quickly as possible.

"I am committed to my family and I hope to keep our lives in the best way possible, including continuing my career," he said.

By filing for bankruptcy in October 2009, the couple had concealed business, income from rents and the real income of Teresa from sales website in the "Real Housewives" and its holdings, according to the indictment.

A Bravo spokesperson said the channel would not comment for now. The program currently airing its fifth season.