“The Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Teresa Giudice denies attending a benefit at Lido Beach, N.Y.’s Maliblue Oyster Bar on Thursday, because it raised money for her mounting legal fees.
Although a press release was sent out on Wednesday announcing that the event thrown by a group of staff members was aimed at raising money for the Teresa Giudice Legal Defense Fund, Giudice tweeted that she wasn’t attending for that reason.
Tonight’s appearance at Maliblue is just a meet & greet w/ fans. I just heard that some of the workers there wanted to support me, and that
— Teresa Giudice (@Teresa_Giudice) August 29, 2013
is very sweet & I appreciate it, but if anyone wants to support me, please do it by donating to a charity I love: @NephCure. Xx
— Teresa Giudice (@Teresa_Giudice) August 29, 2013
Also read: ‘Real Housewives’ Teresa and Joe Giudice Plead Not Guilty to Fraud Charges (Updated)
Later, Johnny Donovan, who touts himself as an event planner and went with the housewife to the event, wrote:
@Teresa_Giudice will be appearing tnite as a meet and greet to kick off Labor Day weekend press has false information on any other matter
— Johnny Donovan (@Johnnydonovan) August 29, 2013
And to make sure that we were clear on it, the company that hosted the event later apologized “about the media and the press.”
Our apologizes to @theresagiudice about the media & press. We are excited to have you tonight @ Maliblue Oyster Bar.
— Dover Caterers (@dovercaterers) August 29, 2013
All of the above tweets were retweeted by Giudice. It’s unclear whether she had any knowledge that the event was originally being thrown to raise money for her legal fees. And, reports state that the fundraising efforts were subsequently canceled.
Also read: ‘Real Housewives of NJ’ Star Melissa Gorga: ‘It’s Going to Blow Up’ With Teresa Giudice
On Aug. 14, Giudice and her husband, Joe Giudice, plead “not guilty” to 39 counts, including mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, bankruptcy fraud, making false statements on loan applications and failure to file tax returns.
Charged in late-July, the Giudices were later released on a $500,000 bond, but didn’t enter a plea at the time. The couple faces more than 50 years maximum time combined in prison and more than $1.5 million in combined fines.
Joe is also at risk of being deported to Italy if found guilty. The 43-year-old moved to the U.S. as a child but never became a citizen.
In 2009, the couple filed for bankruptcy, but prosecutors said they concealed businesses, property and lied about Teresa’s income. They withdrew their bankruptcy request in 2011.