Danielle Staub, of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New Jersey, has come underfire over allegations about her past life as a criminal.

According to The Defamer, the 45-year-old reality star is a former drug-abusing exotic dancer, who went under different aliases, including Beverly Merrill. She was arrested once.

Cop Without A Badge, an out-of-print book about felon-turned-informant Kevin Maher, links Staub to crimes including kidnapping and extortion.

Danielle says that she is “baffled” by the criminal claims, but promos for this week’s show have alluded to the fact that she has an illicit past that dates back to the 1980s. A Bravo rep has declined to comment on the matter, simply saying, “Tune in next week and watch what happens.”