‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Jim Marchese Makes Millions As DOJ Whistleblower

Jim Marchese is well known for his role on the Real Housewives of New Jersey, but being a TV husband is not his best-paying gig. The RHONJ star has made millions as a Department of Justice whistleblower.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Jim has “twice collected seven-figure awards” for reporting corporate wrongdoing to the DOJ. The mortgage firm he owns in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, recently collected $8.5 million for his whistleblower role in helping the DOJ secure a $16.56 billion settlement with Bank of America Corp. last summer. Business Insider reports when Jim Marchese blew the whistle in 2007 on his employer, a pharmaceutical company, for allegedly defrauding Medicare, the RHONJ star netted $1.6 million for his part.

While the money may be good, Marchese, 45, insists he does not do it for the cash.

“I’m trained as an attorney, I’m Sicilian, and I’m from New Jersey. If I see you kick a puppy, I’m going to say something. It’s not within me to not say something.”

Whistleblower experts tell the Wall Street Journal they know of no other individual who has received two sizeable awards in two different industries, much less seven-figure awards. Jim’s wife, Amber Marchese, says she does not know what to think of her husband’s serial whistleblowing, “I don’t know if it’s amazing or unlucky.”

Jim Marchese says he would blow the whistle again because it is in his nature to do so.

Although most of his recent $8.5 million will go back to his company, the couple used some of the money recently to take their kids on vacation to the Bahamas.

Jim Marchese, and his company, Mortgage Now, were working with the DOJ when he and his wife became part of the Season 6 cast of the Real Housewives of New Jersey. Jim often butted heads with many of his co-stars during filming, but there is one in particular he wants off the show because she is a criminal. Marchese told People earlier this year that cast member Teresa Giudice should never return to RHONJ because having her on the show makes it difficult for the rest of the cast to make money.

“When we started the show, Teresa wasn’t even indicted yet… We took the job with the belief that you would be able to grow businesses out of it. Because Teresa and her husband have been convicted, it has been very difficult for Amber to launch businesses because no one wants to be associated with the show.”

Whether Amber and Jim Marchese will be a part of the seventh season of the Real Housewives of New Jersey is unknown, as the network has not made any casting decisions, as the Inquisitr previously reported.

[Image by Mike Pont/Getty Images]