The Broke and the Beautiful: Sentencing Edition

This week on The Broke and the Beautiful, a judge handed down prison sentences to “Real Housewives of New Jersey” stars Teresa and Joe Giudice, and some other “RHONJ” stars are in the news as well. Also, Detroit has made a major impression on Ben Affleck, who’s filming the latest “Batman” installment in the bankrupt city.

It’s the sentencing Teresa and Joe Giudice knew was coming, and now the fate of the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” stars has been sealed. Saying the couple made “glaring” omissions in their financial disclosures, U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas handed out prison sentences to the couple for committing bankruptcy fraud and mail and wire fraud conspiracy, Bankruptcy Beat reported. Teresa got 15 months in federal prison, while husband Joe got 41 months and could still face deportation to Italy after his sentence is completed. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the couple won’t have to serve time together so one of them can be home with their four daughters.

A lawyer for Joe Giudice wasn’t available for comment. Teresa Giudice’s lawyer, Henry Klingeman, told Bankruptcy Beat he wouldn’t comment on anything beyond what he said in court.

The Giudices aren’t the only “RHONJ” stars in the news. Lawyers in a bankruptcy lawsuit involving Jacqueline and Chris Laurita are unhappy with the couple for trying to seal court documents in a summary judgment motion, Radar Online noted. (The couple, as well as Chris Laurita’s brother and his brother’s wife, have been accused of draining the brothers’ bankrupt clothing company of assets to support lavish lifestyles.) “The Lauritas make no arguments and assert no facts consistent with the heightened standard required for sealing documents,” lawyers for the company, Signature Apparel Group, said in court documents. “The Lauritas have not identified the ‘specific factual and legal authority’ demonstrating that any document they want sealed is ‘confidential’ or ‘scandalous’ and have thus not met their burden,” they added.

Ben Affleck is busy filming the latest Batman installment, “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” in Motor City, and the city has got his attention. Detroit, whose Chapter 9 case is biggest municipal bankruptcy ever, has “made a big impression on me,” Mr. Affleck told the Detroit Free Press. “It’s been really inspiring to see ways that people here are working and plugging away and rebounding and dedicating themselves to the city,” he noted. “There’s this whole kind of spirit here of, ‘Hey, we’re on the comeback’ kind of thing.” The new film, in which Mr. Affleck stars as Batman himself, is set to fly into theaters in March 2016.

If bankrupt gun retailer Tactical Firearms gets its own TV show, it wouldn’t exactly be a novel idea. And as Bankruptcy Beat reported, it could become a reality. ITV Studios America, the U.S. division of the U.K. production giant that has made shows including “Four Weddings” and “Kitchen Nightmares,” has approached the company’s manager with a film proposal for the company. Though the show hasn’t yet been picked up, Tom Lane, senior vice president of business and legal affairs for ITV Studios America, has signed a deal with manager Jeremy Alcede. It isn’t clear whether the company would get paid if a TV deal happens.

The circumstances behind hybrid vehicle maker Vision Industries Corp.’s bankruptcy aren’t known just yet, but that’s not the case for some people associated with the company. As Bankruptcy Beat reported, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger once touted the company’s semi-tractor trailer, the Tyrano, outside the state capital a few years ago. The company’s chief executive, Martin Schuermann, also used to be the CEO of the company that produced “Terminator 3” and is married to former MTV VJ Downtown Julie Brown. Vision Industries filed for bankruptcy late last month. And even though the company has little cash and $3.2 million in liabilities, it said it wants to keep operating while in bankruptcy. (One might even say it has a vision of staying in business.)

(And just for fun: We thought the long-running Phoenix Coyotes saga was over, but it turns out we were wrong. Spurned New York Islanders buyer Andrew Barroway is expected to close a sale on the struggling hockey team this month, the New York Post reported.)

Write to Melanie Cohen at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @MelanieLisa.