'Real Housewives of New Jersey' Star Danielle Staub Exposed

'Real Housewives of New Jersey''s Danielle Staub is in for a major reality check.

The Star-Ledger has uncovered a copy of the now infamous 'Cop Without a Badge,' an out-of-print book that has been the center of a media firestorm after Bravo showed a preview of next week's episode, airing Tuesday at 10PM. According to the preview, 'Badge' allegedly holds the key to Staub's dark and scandalous past.



So what does the book actually say? According to the article, 'Badge' profiles a woman named Beverly Merrill, a promiscuous, drug-using stripper who in 1986 was charged with extortion, kidnapping and possession. The charges claimed she had ties to a kidnapping incident involving her drug dealer friend, who allegedly kidnapped, beat and starved a rich kid who owed him $25,000, before calling his father for ransom.

Merrill was subsequently released from jail on $10,000 bail, says the article. A few days later, she met the book's protagonist, Kevin Maher, at a party in Miami. The connection was instant and led to "explosive sex" -- not to mention Maher using his connections to help Merrill avoid jail. The book says Merrill only pleaded guilty to extortion and got off on five years' probation.

But the relationship wasn't meant to be. Although the couple reportedly went on to marry, Maher (who was already married at the time) felt Merrill was not suitable mother material. The destruction continued later when Merrill started stripping as -- you guessed it -- "Danielle" and later had an affair with another man.

Whether these allegations actually pertain to Staub remains to be seen.

However, a new report from Gawker only appears to support the evidence. After a public records search, the site found that Staub has gone by three other names, including Beverly Merrill (as an added bonus: Gawker also has two scanned pages of the book, which highlight Maher and Merrill's first encounter).

Now we really can't wait for Tuesday's episode.