It appearsJoe Giudicewon’t be returning home as soon as he initially expected.
The husband ofReal Housewives of New JerseystarTeresa Giudice, who was scheduled to be released from prison on March 14, will now remain behind bars for an “unknown” amount of time until a decision on his deportation is made,Page Sixreports.
Giudice’s lawyer, James J. Leonard Jr., told the outlet that despite the delay in his release, his team is “optimistic [to] receive the appropriate relief” once his appeal is heard.
“The custodial aspect of Mr. Giudice’s federal sentence does, in fact, expire on or about March 14, 2019,” Leonard Jr. said. “However, due to the immigration order and detainer lodged against him, that is not a release date meaning he is not coming home on that date.”
“We are optimistic that once his appeal is heard, he will receive the appropriate relief and will be able to come home and remain there with his family,” he added. “They love him, they support him and they miss him tremendously.”
Leonard Jr. did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Joe and Teresa, both 46, have been married since 1999 and share four daughters together: Gia, 18, Gabriella, 15, Milania, 13, and Audriana, 10.
That support has appeared to cross over to Joe’s deportation ruling, which came in October. Even though Joe has lived in the United States since he was a child, henever obtained American citizenshipand immigrants can be deported if they are convicted of “a crime of moral turpitude” or an “aggravated felony,” according to U.S. law.
While Joe’s attorneysappealed his deportation ruling in Novemberto prevent him from having to return to his native Italy,they are still awaiting a decision.
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“I hope I don’t have to cross that bridge,” Teresa toldAndy Cohenof Joe’s future, during a previous installment of theRHONJreunion. “[The lawyers] are trying their best.”
Asked if Joe will have to go directly from the facility he’s in right now to an airplane, Teresa — who said she sees Joe about “once a month” — admitted she “[didn’t] know exactly the technicalities of it.”
She also gave some insight into Joe’s mental state, revealing to the host that her husband feels guilt over the possibly of leaving his family behind. “He has tremendous guilt, but he’s very positive, very strong,” she said.
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Despite showing her support, Teresa revealed on Wednesday that she and Joewould go their separate waysif he is deported during the taping of theRHONJseason 9 reunion.
Teresa also said that moving to Italy with their four daughters just isn’t in the cards.
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“Unless my kids say, ‘Mommy, we want to move to Italy,’ [we] are not going,” Teresa revealed during theRHONJreunion. “Gia’s going to college next year; I haven’t spoken to Milania or Audriana about it, we haven’t gotten there yet; and Gabriella already voiced her opinion to me. She was like, ‘That would be so hard for me, Mommy.’ She doesn’t speak the language. She’s like, ‘That would kill me even more.’”
“It’s like starting a whole new life,” Teresa added. “And they’ve been through so much already.”
The mother of four was spottedwithout her wedding ringon Thursday.
source: people.com
