Luis Ruelas’ stepdaughters appeared to love their Christmas gifts from him, but not everyone was impressed. The businessman recently took to social media to defend himself after being accused of gifting the girls fake Cartier bracelets.
Last month, one of Teresa Giudice’s daughters, Milania Giudice, posted a TikTok titled “Christmas Haul.” In the video, the teen showed off that her new stepfather gifted her a Cartier bracelet over the holidays.
"Luis always goes big, and last year he also got us a Cartier bracelet," she said. "This year he, again, got us — me and my three sisters — this one."
The designer bracelets are known for their high price, as they can cost anywhere between $4,050 to $56,000. It’s possible that Luis spent a small fortune on the elaborate gifts, which is why some fans were skeptical over whether the bracelets were real.
The controversy began when The Real Bad Fashions shared a post to Instagram featuring side-by-side images of the bracelets Milania and Gia Giudice received as well as a photo of a Cartier bracelet from the brand’s website.
The post noted that there are important differences between the Giudice girls’ bracelets and the one shown on the website. Specifically, the size of the Cartier logo as well as where it’s placed in the box.
As a result, a representative for Luis released a statement denying the speculation.
"I think in the spirit of what Christmas is really all about, people's focus should be elsewhere and not on something silly like this," the rep said. "That being said, the girls are very happy with their bracelets and grateful to have received them."
Teresa has four daughters from her marriage to Joe Giudice -- Gia, 21, Gabriella, 17, Milania, 16, and Audriana, 12. The couple were married for over two decades before divorcing in 2022, following Joe’s legal troubles and deportation to his native Italy.
Teresa began dating Luis the following year, and the tied the knot in an elaborate ceremony in 2022. He has two sons from a previous relationship.
Their wedding got a lot of attention before it happened, and not only because Teresa is known for sharing her life on reality television. The pair made headlines when Teresa said they wouldn’t sign a prenup, and admitted she didn’t want to sign one during her first marriage.
Even though Luis’ Christmas gifts may have sparked controversy amongst fans, it appears that his stepdaughters are still pleased with the Cartier bracelets, which is what really matters.