“Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Teresa Giudice’s ex-legal crisis manager Wendy Feldman spoke out to TheWrap Tuesday just one day after she dropped the Bravo reality star as a client.
“This is real life, the stakes are high and this isn’t a television network where you can stomp your feet and get your way. This is federal prison, this is not a hotel,” she said.
Giudice’s newly appointed attorneys petitioned the courts Monday to ask if the reality star could serve most of her 15-month sentence in a halfway house, and the remainder at Danbury Federal Prison, where the hit Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black” is set.
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Feldman took strong objection to the move and said the letter was “filled with inaccuracies and information that was blatantly false.” This would be the professional legal crisis manager’s final straw before she dropped Giudice.
U.S. prosecutors filed their own letter Tuesday, strongly objecting to the petition and Feldman said the letter pretty much echoed her sentiments from Monday.
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“Today we find out the prosecution has responded in voluminous written form and they seem to agree exactly with what I was saying yesterday,” she said. “They have the luxury to respond to Judge Salas, I have no such luxury.”
Teresa and her husband Joe Giudice were both convicted of mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud in a New Jersey federal court on Oct. 2. Joe Giudice, who also pleaded guilty to a count of failing to file a tax return, was sentenced to 41 months. The courts have allowed the couple to serve their sentences separately for the sake of their daughters.
Feldman is disappointed by how Teresa has managed herself since then. “When a client goes rogue, it’s really really devastating. Because you pour so much energy and time into it, and nobody wants it to happen,” she continued.
“I don’t take any glee in this, I don’t take this lightly. It’s very very sad.”
Read Feldman’s full statement given exclusively to TheWrap:
“My statements Monday were based on the filing made yesterday. The full letter to U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas was written by Teresa’s new attorney, whom I have never spoken to or met.
The filing was filled with inaccuracies and information that was blatantly false.
Therefore, I had no choice to make the decision that I did. Today we find out the prosecution has responded in voluminous written form and they seem to agree exactly with what I was saying yesterday.
They have the luxury to respond to Judge Salas, I have no such luxury.
At the end of the day, my job and anybody who works for a defendant has a similar job to someone who works for the government in that we must respect our federal court systems. It is one of the most fair and most unique systems in the world, and therefore we treat it with respect. Clients who don’t do not understand have to learn a different way of how this process works.
Unfortunately, I worked with Teresa for months and months and months, teaching her to respect the system and the judge and the process, but it went on deaf ears.
So, when that letter was filed yesterday, to me that was the final straw in what had already been a shaky relationship. You can’t expect people to do everything for you. From writing the speeches in court, to being upset because you didn’t get the result you want although you made a plea agreement for 27 months — what were you expecting? Lets be real.
This is real life, the stakes are high and this isn’t a television network where you can stomp your feet and get your way. This is federal prison, this is not a hotel.
I said yesterday that a camp designation is a gift, it is not a guarantee. And it is not guaranteed.
Despite what a lot of people on Twitter and in the social media world say, a fact is a fact and when you work in the system — especially people who have worked with me — situations like this are very, very unfortunate. I know for me and most people in the system, they put their heart and soul in a case. When a client goes rogue, it’s really really devastating. Because you pour so much energy and time into it, and nobody wants it to happen.
I don’t take any glee in this, I don’t take this lightly. It’s very very sad.”