Joe Giudice’s ex-business partner Joe Mastropole shared his reaction to Teresa Giudice’s recent claim that Melissa and Joe Gorga were involved in putting the Real Housewives of New Jersey star in prison for fraud.
He also claimed Teresa and Joe, who are no longer married, still owe him $980,000, and he shared if he plans on taking them back to court.
Speaking with The U.S. Sun, Mastropole claimed he didn’t know Melissa, and she wasn’t involved in his past lawsuit.
“That’s bulls**t. I’ve never met her in my entire life,” he said. “If I saw her, I wouldn’t have even recognized her.”
In spite of this, Mastropole admitted to knowing her husband, Joe Gorga. “I know Joe Gorga but don’t know Melissa at all,” he shared. “I know Joe as a friend, that’s all.”
“But Melissa, maybe I met her at Joe’s house way back, maybe one or two times. I wouldn’t even know what she looked like,” Mastropole went on to say. “If I bumped into her, I wouldn’t even know who she was.”
Mastropole said he didn’t know why Teresa was claiming Melissa ‘hung out’ with Mastropole, but he thinks the reason is that “she’s always looking for a fight with somebody.”
The man added, “I haven’t been in touch with [Joe or Teresa] in eight years … I don’t even watch the show – it makes me sick.”
Mastropole, who filed a civil lawsuit against the couple in 2009, alleged they forged his name on certain documents to get $1 million. The case was dismissed, and the Giudices were forced to pay him $260,000. Five years later, the couple pleaded guilty to fraud and served time in prison.
“They screwed me, I didn’t screw them. And I didn’t really put them in jail,” he said. “I went to the bankruptcy hearing just to protect my interest … I didn’t want to put them in jail, I just wanted my money!”
The broker added, “I make my own money. I’m not going to let nobody steal it next time.”
He also told the outlet that he never received the money Teresa and Joe allegedly “stole” from him after a judge ordered they pay him $260,000.
“I got nothing [back]! I got zero,” he said. “I lost $980,000 and another $300,000 in attorney’s fees, so it cost me a million dollars … They owe me $980K. I put up the money for the three properties [they rented out] and I never got nothing.”
Mastropole called himself a “survivor” after what he allegedly experienced with the couple regarding the lawsuit, and he said he would not bring them back to court to reclaim the full amount.
“Nah, I give up. They ruined my life already,” he said. “I had five strokes and my mother lost her house because of them … I’m getting older. I don’t need the aggravation … I don’t want another stroke … I want to live in peace, that’s all.”
When asked about Joe Giudice’s attempts to return to the U.S. after his deportation, Mastropole expressed, “I don’t give a s**t what he does. He should be ashamed of himself … I’m surprised he don’t call me up and at least tell me he’s sorry … He screwed my life, my mother’s life and took all my money.”
The 67-year-old added, “Come on, man. Don’t you have any heart?”
Regarding the recent lawsuit against Digital Media Solutions, the business of Teresa’s current husband Luis Ruelas, Mastropole commented, “I don’t know the guy, never heard of the guy, never met the guy. I know nothing.”
The Real Housewives of New Jersey season 13 reunion concludes on Tuesday, June 13, at 8/7c on Bravo.