'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star Joe Giudice to be deported to Italy
Teresa Giudice’s husband, Joe, is to be deported to Italy after he’s released from prison next year. A judge made the ruling in Pennsylvania’s immigration court Wednesday, Yahoo Entertainment can confirm. The Real Housewives of New Jersey star is currently behind bars for mail, wire, and bankruptcy fraud.
“Based upon the law, I find you deportable and ineligible for any kind of relief,” Judge John Ellington said, according to Radar Online. “Mr. Giudice, no matter how this turns out, I wish you the best. I decided this case as a matter of law.”
The 46-year-old Bravo star, who appeared via teleconference, was stunned at the judge’s decision. “I don’t understand how I can be deported on this case,” he reportedly stammered. “If you will, I’ll tell you my side. I shouldn’t even be here right now. … I have to go back and tell my kids this, and they’ve been waiting to hear from me.”
Joe and Teresa, 46, share four daughters: Gia, 17, Gabriella, 13, Milania, 12, and Audriana, 9.
Giudice’s lawyer is not commenting on the ruling at this time. The reality star has 30 days to file an appeal, which is expected. Over the summer, his attorney told Yahoo that he and his client were “optimistic” that “the court will rule in his favor and allow him to return home.”
Although Giudice, who was born in Italy, has been living in the United States since age 1, he never officially acquired his citizenship. Before starting his 41-month prison sentence in March 2016, he told People that he wasn’t concerned with the possibility of getting deported. “I’m not even worried about that as far as that goes,” he told the magazine. “That, we’ll worry about when I get out.”
Teresa Giudice, who was not present at the hearing Wednesday, previously said “of course” she and the girls would move to Italy with Joe if he got deported. It’s unclear if she still feels that way. The couple, who will celebrate their 19th wedding anniversary later this month, has been plagued with rumors of marital strife amid Giudice’s prison sentence. He is expected to be released a few months early in March 2019.
Season 9 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey premieres Nov. 7.
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