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Joe Gorga Sold His Parents’ Home Out from Under Them
Joe Gorga Sold His Parents’ Home Out from Under Them
In February 2001, while using his parents’ home at 281 Maitland Ave. in Paterson, NJ, as his primary address (he may have been still living at home), 27-year old Joe Gorga bought a lot in Franklin Lakes for $345,000 with the intention of one day building a custom home on it (probably to flip for profit).
Fifteen months later, on May 15, 2002, Joe bought a home to use as his primary residence at 259 Black Oak Ridge Road in Wayne, NJ, for $510,000 (instrument #2002056041*) — he took out a $408,000 mortgage on the home in his name only with NJ Lenders Corp. (instrument #2002056042*), which means his down payment was $102,000.
Almost a year later, in March 2003, Joe first met Melissa Marco during Spring Break in Cancun (she was 24; he was 29) — they hung out and partied as a group, but she wasn’t interested in him because he was too short and not her type. Upon returning home to New Jersey, Joe pursued her and visited her while she worked at Lookers Gentlemen’s Club, but she didn’t want anything to do with him.
Determined to win over Melissa by impressing her with wealth, Joe decided to build a 5,576 SF custom home on the Franklin Lakes lot he purchased more than two years earlier, in early 2001.
Joe needed his parents help, so three months after Joe first met Melissa, on June 19, 2003, his parents sold their home in Paterson, NJ, for $256,000 (instrument #2003079517*)and moved into Joe’s home at 259 Black Oak Ridge Road — this is the home Joe Gorga talked about in season 4 episode 10, the one he later sold out from under them.
During season 4, Joe Gorga said that he owned the house that his parents lived in, but then sold it, and now is paying their rent while he looks for a little ranch house for them. In the episode where Joe and Teresa go to therapy together, Joe talks about an article saying that he took money from their mom, and that Teresa and Juicy are building a house — or garage apartment — for them. In the stairwell of the therapist’s building, we hear audio of Joe telling Teresa that the tabloid sh*t has to stop, and her claiming that she didn’t put anything out there, and him yelling at her not to lie. And then Joe yells, “You guys want to move ’em into that f*cking shack that you built. He don’t want to move there!” And then Teresa says that Joe should buy their parents a house, and what’s the big deal since he’s doing so well. If she had the money, she says, she would f*cking give it to them. And then Joe calls her out on her expensive purse before yelling that she doesn’t f*cking get it. [Source]
Joe completed construction on the Franklin Lakes home at 149 Pulis Avenue in 2003; impressed by the home, Melissa began dating Joe in October of that year. This is the home Melissa was referring to when Teresa claims she said:
“I wasn’t stupid like my sisters; of course when I saw his house I was going to jump on that shit.”
In December 2003, a couple months after they started dating, Melissa moved into Joe’s Franklin Lakes home.
“That pic u have of her and the dog ‘gucci’ saddens me. She gave him up when she moved in with Joe. She loved him but $ more.” – Melissa’s ex boyfriend, Bryan, January 25, 2013, Twitter (@bulldog_nj)
Eight months later, in August 2004, Melissa married Joe.
“I remember the Friday nite u said 2 me, stop seeing other girls or I will marry that millionaire. 3 months Lata you were married Lol.” – Melissa’s ex boyfriend, Bryan, January 25, 2013, Twitter (@bulldog_nj)
“What’s funny is she would always tell me her brother in law is a lot like me ‘juicy’ then when I saw him on TV I saw why. He don’t put on act.” – Melissa’s ex boyfriend, Bryan, January 24, 2013, Twitter (@bulldog_nj)
Less than a year later, on May 5, 2005, with the value of his homes in Franklin Lakes and Wayne skyrocketing because of the real estate bubble, Joe and Melissa purchased a ‘shore house’ in Toms River, NJ, for $450,000.
A little more than a year later, on August 7, 2006, at the peak of the real estate bubble, Joe sold their Franklin Lakes home for $2.45 million, making a significant profit ($1 million+).
On October 11, 2007, they purchased a very modest home at 491 Summer Street in Paterson, NJ for $170,000. It is unclear if they lived there or rented a home somewhere else, content to have money in the bank. Melissa said that she and Joe rented a home while he was building the mansion in Montville — the mortgage document for their construction loan listed their address as 35 Gravel Hill Road, Kinnelon, NJ.
Everything changed in 2007 when Teresa was cast on RHONJ. For 11 months before filming began in 2008, Teresa mulled over the decision to join the cast or not (as explained by Andy Cohen on the June 17, 2012, episode of WWHL — she kept dropping in and out). During this time, unlike Teresa, Melissa and Joe were very anxious to join the show. She and Joe began looking for an estate lot to buy near Teresa so they could be close to her and hopefully be taped along with her, living an upper-class lifestyle.
Monica Chacon Has Known the Gorgas Since at Least 2005
“Joe & Melissa were telling Monica all about the Giudice finances for years & Mastropole was also working with Joe Gorga. Funny how a few commenters said I was not a reliable source and should stop trying to shame Monica since it wasn’t true that the Chacons knew the Gorgas. So thank You Fame for writing this article with the proof that the Gorgas did indeed know & work with the Chacons & Mastropole! The entire cast knew what Monica was doing & they all helped to get the Giudices indicted! What needs to happen now is a federal investigation into the finances of the Gorgas, Manzos, Wakiles, & the Lauritas. They all have done the same things that the Giudices are accused of & then some! The entire cast knew about these charges before the Giudices did which is why Melissa said several different times that ‘Joe will be going to jail where he belongs… we know where he’s going, jail.’ She wasn’t talking about the driver’s license since people don’t usually go to jail for that, especially if it’s his first charge. She was talking about the indictment!” – xjrsygrl773, October 25, 2013
The connection between Monica Chacon and Joe Gorga goes back to 2005 (if not earlier), when she prepared the deed for a property Joe Gorga purchased jointly with Bob Hiza (image above – thank you katedj09), who is a real estate and mortgage broker and a friend of both the Gorgas and Wakiles. (Remember that the Gorgas got married in August 2004, and Melissa worked as a secretary for his “real estate development” business.)
On March 22, 2005, Joe Gorga and Bob Hiza purchased 8 12th Avenue in Paterson, NJ (Block E0533, Lot 9) from the city of Paterson for $45,000 (it was a distressed sale and quit-claim deed). THE DEED WAS PREPARED BY MONICA CHACON.
Four months later, on July 12, 2005, Joe Gorga and Bob Hiza sold the property to Richie Wakile for $55,000. The deed was prepared by Bob Hiza.
On December 19, 2005, property ownership was transferred from Richie Wakile as sole owner to Richie Wakile and Charbel Atie as 50/% each joint owners (tenants in common) in the amount of $32,500.
Eight months later, on August 8, 2006, Richie and Charbel sold the property to Mario Cabral for $375,000, a profit of $320,000 (image below – thank you katedj09) – this was shortly before the average guy knew the real estate bubble had burst, but speculators were aware that the end had come, so were unloading their properties.
That’s quite a tidy profit that Joey sent Richie’s way. Improvement could have been made to the property for such a huge profit in so little time, but something seems shady for the price to go from $55,000 in March 2005 to $375,000 in August 2006.
GPM said: “This is solely my opinion but the 8 12th Avenue transaction looks like it could be masking a payoff to Police Chief Charbel Atie. In a scenario like that, people who stand in the position of Wakile (and possibly even Gorga and Hiza) would be considered straw men who receive a small amount of compensation for standing in the chain of title and holding it for a period of time until it’s considered safe for a payoff to be made. It’s interesting that the price increased exactly $10,000 — from $45,000 to $55,000 to $65,000 (based on the price of Atie’s 1/2 interest) each time it exchanged hands.”
The financial connection between the Wakiles and the Gorgas could help explain their closeness on the show and how it also relates to Bob Hiza and Monica Chacon, an attorney who handles real estate title research and whose husband was the attorney representing Joe Giudice’s former business partner, Joe Mastropole, in a civil suit he filed against Juicy, which was settled in Mastropole’s favor in December 2010 (Teresa had an confrontation with Monica at the courthouse on December 10, 2010, just before the Christmas party at the Gorga’s house, which is why producers, along with Melissa, had Kim G invite Monica).
The Gorgas and Wakiles went to the Hizas for dinner early in season 3 (episode 6) and talked about the Giudice’s bankruptcy (season 3 started taping in September 2010; the Giudices filed for bankruptcy more than a year earlier, on October 29, 2009).
In December 2010, at the Gorga’s Christmas party in season 3 episode 10, Melissa and Monica pretended like they didn’t know each other when she arrived with Kim G; however, in October 2010, while taping the Posche fashion show in season 3 episode 2, Melissa, her sisters, Kim G, Monica Chacon and Kathy Wakile all sat at the same table (images below) – Teresa questioned their association when she said to Caroline and Jacqueline:
“Why is Kim G talking to my sister-in-law? It’s just weird that my sister-in-law’s friends with her.”
Let’s not forget that Joe Gorga looked right in Monica Chacon’s eyes at their 2010 Christmas party, and said “I don’t know you” (the same thing he said to John Karagiorgis at the grand opening of Posche 2 during the season 5 finale):
“I’m sorry, I don’t know you, but she’s my sister – I can’t have you here.”
In Melissa’s season 3 episode 10 Bravo blog, “Little Miss Trouble,” she refers to Monica as “a complete stranger.”
Joe Gorga and Bob Hiza, together, bought about 10 foreclosure properties (images below – thank you Saddle_River_NJ) from the City of Paterson starting in May of 2004 (quitclaim deeds) and then sold them off to various people or entities. Some of these people are unconnected, but several of the entities connect back to Joe Gorga (i.e. a LLC that is actually owned by Joe Gorga), and one of the properties was sold to Richard Wakile (8 12th Ave, Paterson, NJ).
Basically, the Gorgas, Wakiles and Hizas were flippers during the real estate bubble years from 2002-2007, buying property cheap and then reselling it for a quick profit. The property that Joey handed Richie (8 12th Avenue, Paterson, NJ) appears to have netted quite the profit, which Ritchie shared with his cousin Atie Charbal, who, at the time, was captain of the Prospect Park Police Department in Passaic County (he was promoted from police captain to police chief in November 2010).
The Gorgas (and most likely the Wakiles too) knew Monica Chacon and the Hizas for years before RHONJ was conceived. It seems they befriended Kim G in 2010, knowing that she had a personal vendetta against Teresa for mocking her on the stripper pole with Danielle (during RHONJ season 2, Teresa joked about her “old lady butt crack,” referred to her as “elderly,” and called her “Kim Grannytell.”)
Monica Chacon boasted to RadarOnline on July 30, 2013, that she had been working with federal investigators over the past four years to help them nab the Giudices:
“The work we put in to make sure the judge recognized they were committing fraud ultimately resulted in them withdrawing their petition [and tipping off the feds]. It’s been a long road. Our office has had calls from some federal agencies over the past four years. You don’t think it’s gonna come to anything and then finally [it happens]. Teresa and Joe’s true day of reckoning is yet to come. The federal case is still ongoing. To actual vindication, I think it will be a long road. But finally it feels like people are opening their eyes to the situation after so many years. Little by little, the truth is starting to come out. They’re starting to show who they really are and what they are about. Everybody around her knows they’re sleazy. I think that their fans must be from anywhere but New Jersey!”
The following is the transcript of an interview (click here for video) from CNN’s Showbiz Tonight with Monica and her husband from August 1, 2013, “Lawyers Who Exposed Alleged Giudice Fraud Speak Out.”
Joe Gorga is Not a Real Estate Developer – He’s a Landscaper Who Also Installs Pools and Does Stucco Work
“He [Joe Gorga] is one of the best developers in New Jersey… Joe surprised me with the plans for this 15,000 SF home for Christmas. I was beside myself. I was crying. It was like this amazing thing. But my sister-in-law never said my house was beautiful. It’s like, eh, crickets… as Joe and I built his business together, their [his and Teresa’s] relationship started to diminish and my relationship with Teresa started to get competitive. ” – Melissa Gorga, Season 3 Episode 1
A blind gossip item from December 13, 2012, says a reality TV star is faking wealth and success. Here is the story:
Hot Scandals Brewing For Fake Housewife
I know, I know, this could describe almost every single one of the reality TV stars of late, right?! Being rich seems to be the exception and not the rule.
This little blind item tidbit has to do with a more up and coming Housewife/reality TV star and that’s all we can say about that.
The alleged dirt:
“Mrs. X has several kids from (possibly) two different baby daddies and there may be another on the way. Her husband, who has been touted as a “very wealthy man” doesn’t quite live up to that title (when do they ever?!). His profession is not what it has been presented as. He is actually a general laborer of sorts. Considering that the application process for many reality shows include a full and lengthy questionnaire on financial details, it’s safe to assume they may have fudged the numbers a bit – or a lot. They borrow luxury brand items to make it seem like they have the best of the best – including clothing. The show may have a hot scandal on its hands since he reportedly has wandering hands and she and the kids spend a lot of time at a friend’s house because of it.”
It sounds like it is Joe and Melissa Gorga.
Joe is not a real estate developer like he claims for the show (at least not anymore).
…
Here is what he does for a living, according to his website:
Joe Gorga Construction as Seen on The Real Housewives of New Jersey
Welcome to the Joe Gorga Construction website! Located in New Jersey, we provide complete solutions for our customers. We are experts in helping homeowners transform their backyard visions into a reality. Whether you are looking to install a beautiful in-ground pool (we are members of the Northeast Pool & Spa Association) or create a unique outdoor living space, we have you covered. For all customers, large or small, and no matter what your budget, we can help revolutionize your property and outdoor living area! We understand that every backyard is different and we take pride in working closely with our customers in order to develop a tailored plan to suit their needs. Our team will ensure that every single detail, along with your specific preferences, are incorporated into the transformation plan and process. Being in business for over 17 years, rest assured that we know and understand how important our customers are!
Call Now for an estimate or more information!
973-782-6930
Thank you for taking an interest in our company. We look forward to serving you in the future. Here are just some of the services we provide:
| Custom Pools & Installation | Outdoor Kitchens | Seeding |
| Custom Spas & Installation | Fireplaces | Mulch |
| Ponds | Fire Pits | Landscaping Lighting |
| Waterfalls | Retaining Walls | Sprinkler Systems |
| Hardscape Features | Custom Landscaping Projects | All Types of Stucco |
| Masonry Work | Landscape Design | All Types of Tree Work |
| Stone Work | Grading | Tree Removal |
| Custom Patios | Draining | And Much More! |
Gorga Enterprises LLC was the name of his previous business. He also bought investment property under Courtland Street LLC.
http://www.buildzoom.com/contractor/gorga-enterprises-inc
http://www.manta.com/c/mtcgh8g/10-courtland-st-llc
Joe Gorga must be taking tips from Chris Laurita on how to spread your money around to different business accounts so it’s harder to track when you use company funds for personal expenses. Here is an excerpt from the lawsuit filed against Chris and his brother Joseph explaining how the Lauritas embezzled funds from their company Signature Apparel:
Chris Laurita and his brother Joseph directed Signature’s vendors, including certain of the petitioning creditors, to make payments to certain of the Laurita’s other companies of funds that were rightfully owed to Signature Apparel LLC. They also directed Signature to pay the personal expenses of, and make outright payments to, the other Laurita family members (Jacqueline and other family members accepted funds they knew belonged to Signature and for which they each knew they had performed no services and/or provided no value). Instead of being used to sustain and develop Signature’s business, pay Signature’s vendors and creditors, Signature’s assets were misused to make outright and unjustified payments to Laurita family members, and to fund the operations of the Laurita brothers’ other companies and business ventures.
After Signature’s bankruptcy, Chris and Joseph conveyed the Licenses away from Signature while retaining for themselves a percentage of gross fees from the licenses, further damaging Signature and effectively rendering the Company an empty shell with no means to pay its creditors [coordinating the transfer of the Rocawear License and the Artful Dodger Licenses to a third-party, as a new license, while retaining for themselves, rather than Signature, a percentage of the gross fees from the Licenses]. That transfer provided Chris and Joseph with continuing income from the Rocawear and Artful Dodger Licenses, while reducing Signature to an empty shell with little or no means to pay its debts or continue its business.
The other Laurita companies at the time included Pyramid Trading, Inc., Pyramid Trading Corp., Retail Solutions, Four Brothers Retail and Cool Five LLC (collectively referred to as the “Laurita Pyramid Companies” ). From the lawsuit:
Chris and Joseph failed to respect the separate legal existence of Signature Apparel LLC and the other Laurita companies and treated the assets of those companies as if those assets were Chris and Joseph’s own personal assets.
Chris and Joseph, in concert with one another, have wrongfully siphoned corporate funds from Signature which resulted in Signature becoming grossly undercapitalized to the point of financial extinction, while amassing personal assets for themselves and their family members. To this day, Chris and Joseph, while claiming the financial crises of Signature, still drive luxurious vehicles, own buildings and residences, and have assets which may be worth millions of dollars. Signature was so controlled and dominated by Chris and Joseph, and its separate legal existence so ignored, that Signature primarily transacted the personal business of Chris and Joseph, and is therefore a mere instrumentality and the alter ego of Chris and Joseph.
With their new venture blk., the Laurita’s already have more than one company name associated with it:
Blk Brands LLC
blk.beverages, LLC
What is it called when you steal money from a company? Answer: it is called fraud, theft or embezzlement, take your pick, these crimes are all felonies.
Hat Tip: Thank you long-time FW reader Sackem for the tip!
Related:
- The Laurita Bankruptcy – Signature Apparel LLC Was Drained of Its Funds and Assets to Support the Laurita’s Opulent Lifestyle
- Gorgas Extract $500,000 in Equity in a Cash-out Refinance of Their Overpriced Home for Sale
- Is Joe Gorga Broke and Facing Bankruptcy?; Does He Really Pay His Bills?; Why Are the Gorgas Selling Their Homes?; Joe Gorga Has a Negative Net Worth of $1.5 Million
- Joe and Melissa Gorga Move into Rental Home After Claiming They Sold Their Mansion for $3.8 Million; Gorgas Claim They Are Building a New Home in Franklin Lakes
- RHONJ Production Supervisor Says Jacqueline Laurita’s Anger Stems from Failed Endorsement Deals, Which She Blames on Teresa Giudice
FAMEWHORGAS 