Juicy Joe being investigated by the IRS

Article from the NY Post about more financial woes for Joe and Teresa.

By MELISSA KLEIN
They're real frauds.

The hubby of "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa Giudice forged a former business partner's signature on a mortgage document in order to take out another loan and pocket $1 million, court papers charge.

What Joe Giudice did with the 2007 windfall is anyone's guess. The couple declared bankruptcy in October, claiming they were nearly $11 million in debt.

Joe Mastropole, who owned property with Joe Giudice, gave him a $586,000 loan secured by three East Orange, NJ, buildings. Giudice paid back only $300,000 with the balance due in December 2007.

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But Giudice forged Mastropole's name on a June 2007 document saying the mortgage was paid, Mastropole charges in a lawsuit. The witnesses to Mastropole's supposed signature were two of Giudice's employees, court papers say.

Mastropole won an Oct. 23, 2009, judgment in his case, which is now in dispute because the Giudices filed for bankruptcy just days later. They left a trail of debt, including money owed on mortgages and to department stores and a fertility clinic.

The Giudices' bankruptcy lawyer, James Kridel, admitted that Giudice signed the document, but said he
did so with Mastropole's permission.

Mastropole called that "a lie."

Others have questioned whether the big-spending Giudices -- who owned three homes and drove a Cadillac Escalade and a Maserati -- are really broke.

"I think that Joe had numerous assets," said Bob Kaslander, co-owner of Excelsior Lumber in Butler, NJ, who was stiffed $91,266. "I don't think they're bankrupt."

The IRS is currently investigating Joe Giudice's business interests, which included a stone and stucco company.

After The Post reported on the bankruptcy last month, Teresa Giudice blamed the action on the economic downturn and said the filing afforded the couple a "fresh start."