Danielle Staub's Criminal Past Explained

Although Danielle Staub claimed in "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" Season 1 that she was just "at the wrong place at the wrong time," there was more to the story than she led her castmates to believe. According to "The Smoking Gun," Staub, whose original name was Beverly Ann Merrill, was arrested in 1986 alongside a man named Daniel Aguilar. The two allegedly tried to hold a man named Carmen Centolella hostage in Miami for $25,000 after a failed drug deal. Staub and Anguilar were found by the FBI after Centolella's father called them, alleging they threatened to harm his son unless they received money from him.

After her arrest, Staub agreed to work with the FBI and turned on Anguilar, which resulted in death threats from his family. The former "RHONJ" star was convicted of extortion and received five years of probation. She was also ordered to attend a drug treatment program and give weekly urine samples to test for drug use. Aguilar received 15 years in prison.

The court documents also state that Staub worked as an escort, which was also detailed in "Cop Without a Badge" by her ex-husband Kevin Maher. However, Staub told People, "I was never a prostitute. Never." As for her past, she simply stated, "I was arrested — what is the big deal?" Despite her blasé attitude about her alleged crimes, Centolella's take on Staub's involvement is much more elaborate.

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