Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo
John Fuda is setting the record straight after a series of online reports suggested he was a convicted felon.
While appearing on a podcast earlier this week, the Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member and husband of Rachel Fuda reacted to the false reports, stating that while he did have a run-in with the law years ago, fan pages conveniently left out a couple of important details.
“I’m not a convicted felon, at all,” John confirmed to the BravBros Podcast on June 20. “So what they posted, they actually left out the bottom of it.”
Following a series of screenshots shared online, which gave mention of a felony charge that had taken place in Passaic, New Jersey, John noted that below that screenshot, it was revealed that his case was not only dismissed but had occurred when he was much younger.
“There’s actually two more lines in that same exact report that says it was dismissed,” he shared, looking back on his past mistakes as a young man.
“Like any other juvenile kid, I got in trouble when I was a juvenile, got myself into a couple of things going through an adolescent stage, got myself involved in a couple of things, fights and this and that. And someone took it, posted it, and left out the part that says ‘dismissed’ to paint a picture of me,” she explained.
“I’m not a convicted felon at all,” he added.
According to All About the Real Housewives, court records show that John, who was 21 at the time and known not as John Fuda but as Jonathan Datria, was arrested in November 2008 for “operation of a motor vehicle while in possession/narcotic.”
Also on the podcast, John explained why he changed his name, insisting he didn’t do so to hide his past mistakes.
“I changed my name because [Rachel and I] got married in 2017,” he shared. “I was raised by the Fuda family. I always honestly thought I was a Fuda until I was in third or fourth grade … I used to sign Jonathan Fuda.”
“I have the family crest, the Fuda Crest, and I wanted to start everything the right way. So I did it in 2017,” he continued. “I changed my name at that point to honor my grandfather, Joseph Fuda. So my name now is Jonathan D’Atria Fuda.”
The Real Housewives of New Jersey is reportedly on “pause” ahead of season 14 as producers decide who will and who won’t be returning for the new episodes.