Danbury Prison Won't Be 'Club Fed' for Real Housewives Star

By Jason Koestenblatt and Rich Scinto (Patch Staff)

There’s often a stigma associated with the prison terms encumbered by celebrities for committing white-collar crimes, with many believing a trip to “Club Fed” is where they’re headed.

But for Teresa Giudice, star of Bravo’s Real Housewives of New Jersey who was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for her role in a set of bankruptcy, mail and wire fraud crimes, she’ll be just one of the general population.

Giudice will serve her sentence at the Federal Correction Institution in Danbury. The facility is a low security federal prison that houses both male and female offenders within separate camps.

Giudice is expected to “self-surrender” to the federal correctional facility on Jan. 5 to begin her punishment, which will be followed by a 41-month prison term for her husband, Joe Giudice, according to northjersey.com.

The reality television star, known for her luxurious lifestyle, including fancy living and expensive clothing and jewelry, will be stripped of all of that upon entering the building, the report said.

“She’d go through the intake screening process, and during that process she’s identified first to make sure she’s the person that’s supposed to surrender, she’s interviewed, all of her personal belongings are taken except for probably a wedding ring and a religious medallion” that doesn’t have a stone, said the Bureau of Prisons spokesman in thereport, describing the typical process. “And she trades her clothes in for a set of institutional clothes.”

Giudice, who was reportedly earning $650,000 per season on the show, will begin work in the prison and, at most, earn $0.40 per hour, northjersey.com reported.

Giudice also sells various products and is a best-selling author, but will not be allowed to run or facilitate any kind of business from behind bars, the report said.

While her Montville-based lifestyle was one of extreme spending, she’ll be just another member of the all-women’s correctional facility in Connecticut.