‘Real Housewives’ Stars Teresa Giudice & Husband Luis Ruelas Struggle With Multi-Million Tax Debt

Real Housewives of New Jersey star Luis Ruelas, 49, is again making headlines, this time for securing an extension on a hefty loan amid mounting tax troubles. The reality star borrowed $1 million in March 2024 and was granted more time to pay up. Court documents show that the deadline has been pushed back to March 25, 2026.

But that’s not the only loan in question. Ruelas, who had already paid $50,000 toward the initial amount, allegedly requested and received an additional $250,000 loan, also due in 2026.

Ruelas and his wife, Teresa Giudice, 52, also face a staggering $3 million tax lien. At the same time, Giudice owes $303,889.20. Ruelas’ bill is nearly $2.6 million. That’s on top of the $163,532.94 tax lien that made headlines last year.

The RHONJ couple has yet to comment on the growing financial mess, but fans of the franchise might be feeling déjà vu. Giudice famously served time behind bars in 2015 after she and her ex-husband, Joe Giudice, were convicted of mail fraud, wire and bankruptcy fraud. The couple ultimately ended their 20-year marriage after Joe’s 2019 release from prison.

Teresa later married Ruelas in a lavish August 2022 wedding two years after they met on vacation. However, financial troubles have continued to follow her, with reports surfacing last year of a $17,000 unpaid tax balance. At the time, her attorney insisted she was making “significant timely monthly payments” and had been “aware of her tax obligations for years.”

As Ruelas’ financial situation spirals, fellow Housewives star Bethenny Frankel has chimed in with some signature bluntness. In a recent TikTok, the RHONY alum criticized Teresa’s pattern of high-stakes financial drama, saying, “I feel terrible but, like, fool me once, you’re a fool, fool me twice, I’m a fool.” She even went as far as to call Teresa one of the worst “pickers” in history besides herself.

Frankel also questioned why the couple remains on reality TV while dealing with serious financial issues, joking that it’s as if they have a “dead body in [their] truck.”