Joe Giudice, husband to Real Housewives of New Jersey's Teresa Giudice, will be deported following his stay in prison, People reports. Joe, who is currently serving a three-year sentence for financial crimes, was born in Italy and moved to the U.S. when he was a child.
At an October 10 hearing at the York Immigration Court in Pennsylvania, a judge ruled that Joe was "deportable" and "ineligible for any kind of relief," per RadarOnline. When Joe emerges from prison, it seems, he'll be deported to Italy. Joe's lawyer James J. Leonard Jr. has declined to comment on the proceedings at this time.
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This isn't the first news of Joe's immigrant status: When Giudice began his prison sentence in 2016, there were reports that his immigration status was in jeopardy. And not because he'd forgotten to file some paperwork! Immigration authorities can deport citizens who have committed crimes of moral turpitude. Crimes of moral turpitude include those under Joe's conviction: He was found guilty of bankruptcy fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, and tax fraud. Because these are crimes against the government — specifically the internal revenue service — Joe's status was in question.
Earlier this summer, Radar reported that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) had "lodged a detainer" for Joe. At the time, Leonard told People that "no decision" had been made in regards to Joe's immigration status.
"The same immigration detainer that was lodged against him in March of 2016 remains in place today, but I want to be absolutely clear about this, no judicial authority has made any decision regarding what will happen with that detainer," Leonard said in a statement.
Efforts have been made to keep Joe in America. Aside from his own legal team, Joe has Teresa, who, according to TMZ, reached out to her Celebrity Apprentice costar Donald Trump back in 2016 to see if the then-Presidential candidate could write a character letter. Trump reportedly declined. Refinery29 has reached out to representation for Trump regarding this particular story. As TMZ points out, Trump now has the ability to pardon a federal crime. A crime such as...tax fraud.