Teresa Giudice, Joe Giudice Settle $13.5M Bankruptcy Case Ahead Of Fraud Hearing

Teresa Giudice and her husband, Joe Giudice, have won a small (yet large) victory this week. According to Radar Online, Teresa and Joe have settled their $13.5 million bankruptcy case, just one month ahead of their fraud hearing. After months of stress relating to their Chapter 7 filing, the trustee in the case filed the discharge papers on Aug. 27 in New Jersey.

“The case is fully have been properly accounted for as provided by law. The trustee hereby requests to be discharged from further duties as a trustee. All estate bank statements, deposit slips, and canceled checks have been submitted to the United States Trustee.”

Joe and Teresa Giudice must be relieved that this bankruptcy case is just about behind them — the judge’s approval is still pending but is expected any day now. With their sentencing coming up on Sept. 23, Teresa and Joe still have a lot to deal with. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, there has been some chatter about the couple getting a divorce. While the two are happy together, there is a chance that they may split for legal reasons, especially if Joe ends up going to jail.

That said, the general consensus seems to be that Teresa will not be heading to prison this month, but that Joe will. Teresa will likely be placed on probation, and forced to pay restitution while her husband serves up to four years behind bars for tax evasion and fraud. If this happens, there is a chance that Teresa will filed for divorce, in order to avoid paying Joe’s restitution (presuming he also gets hit).

Teresa Giudice hasn’t made mention of a possible split from her husband, but she will have to do what is best for her family when the time comes. Of course there is a chance that both Teresa and Joe will be sentenced to prison… but there is also a chance that neither of them will serve any time at all.

In other Teresa news, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star showed up to a fundraising event for State Sen. Raymond Lesniak last week. According to NJ.com, Teresa attended the event with a friend and did not know Lesniak prior to meeting him.

“I should have taken a selfie! Everyone was going gaga over her. I had to admit I’ve never seen the show, but a surprising number of my friends had.”

It’s clear that people still love Teresa, felon or not.

[Photo courtesy of John Lamparski/Getty Images via ABC News]