The Teresa Giudice Legal Defense Fund

In December 2008, Al Manzo hosted a fund-raiser at The Brownstone to raise money for Bernie Kerik’s legal defense – Bernie was scheduled to face trial in October 2009 for federal charges of fraud but instead pleaded guilty in November 2009.

In August 2013, a month after Teresa and Joe were indicted for money fraud, Teresa considered taking the same route as Bernie by scheduling a fundraiser at the Maliblue Oyster Bar to “collect donations to support her legal defense,” but when she was called out on it by bloggers, she claimed the press release was a PR stunt to drum up business for the restaurant.

On August 28, 2013, Teresa Giudice tweeted that she would be making an appearance at the Maliblue Oyster Bar in Lido Beach, NY from 7:30 to 8:30 PM on August 29, 2013 – she misspelled the name of the restaurant in her tweet:

Although neither Teresa’s tweet or the ad stated that the event was a fundraiser for her defense, the press release clearly stated it was for her defense fund. Plus, the name of the restaurant also was misspelled in the press release (it was misspelled in the same way as it was in Teresa’s tweet).

The following is the press release:

NEW YORK, Aug. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — A group of bartenders and staff from a legendary Long Island beach resort and catering facility are collecting donations to support the legal defense of Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice.

They strongly believe Teresa will be vindicated soon and will be collecting funds to aid her defense. They are seeking donations from compassionate fans of the reality TV star, who has four young children. The Bartenders, servers and other wait staff work at Malibu Beach Club, where Teresa is making a special appearance tomorrow night, Thursday, August 29, 2013.

Malibu Beach Club is an iconic New York area oceanfront facility where the biggest names in show business have performed over the last 50 years including Sammy Davis Jr., Billy Joel, Frank Sinatra, U2 and Pat Benatar.

The group is dedicated to helping Teresa stay out of prison and also help pay any fines or other restitution that Teresa and Joe are ordered to pay.

Teresa and her husband Joe Giudice are facing 39 counts of fraud, which could result in up to 50 years in jail. The Giudices are charged with an alleged conspiracy to defraud lenders and illegally obtain mortgages. In addition, they are also accused of hiding assets and income while declaring bankruptcy.

“I am committed to my family and intend to maintain our lives in the best way possible, which includes continuing my career. As a result, I am hopeful that we will resolve this matter with the Government as quickly as possible,” stated Teresa Giudice.

For interviews or further information please contact the Teresa Giudice Legal Defense Fund at 646-571-3131.

SOURCE Malibu Beach Club

After bloggers caught onto the story, Teresa went on Twitter on August 29, 2013 at about 4:30 PM EST to say, “I am just hearing this – what???,” and denied any involvement in raising money for her defense, claiming that staff from the restaurant, without her knowledge, released the press release. Instead, she encouraged people to support her by donating to a charity she promotes, the Nephcure Foundation (notice how she correctly spelled the restaurant name in her tweet on August 29):

PR agent Johnny Donovan also went on Twitter shortly after Teresa, saying that her appearance was a “meet and greet to kick off Labor Day weekend” and claimed that other press about the event was “false information”:

With the name of the restaurant being misspelled in both Teresa’s tweet and the press release, you have to wonder if she was behind it since, obviously, the restaurant knows how to spell its name, unlike Teresa’s team.

The other ad for the event on Maliblue Oyster Bar’s Facebook page shows a full line-up for the Labor Day weekend – Teresa is among several others scheduled to make an appearance at the restaurant.