It's an ABC show. Frivolous and fraudulent. It is definitely not reality. Check out what was happening to her husband when he passed on and the actual factual histories of the men.
This is what I read.
"Her deceased husband was a convicted criminal. Once again, ABC has set a low bar. John Vassos pled guilty in 2017 to charges of tax evasion, mail fraud, and wire fraud. He died before he did any jail time. But, his accomplice, Keith Forney, did pay a hefty fine and did serve jail time. The IRS has probably already seized what joint assets Joan and John Vassos had. Honest to goodness, squeaky image is not to be believed. Another old lady in it for self promotion, fame, money."
Here is what happened.
"Vassos pled guilty in June 2017 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, one count of tax fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He is awaiting sentencing."
From:
District of Columbia | Government Contractor Pleads Guilty to Acting as a Pass-Through Minority Business Enterprise | United States Department of Justice