Joe Giudice has left for his native Italy as he continues his deportation battle, Us Weekly confirms.
“He is en route to Italy right now. He spoke to Teresa and Gia from the plane and he is extremely happy to be released, more than words can describe,” the family’s lawyer, James Leonard, said in a statement to Us. “We are still fighting and it is his desire to return home to the United States to be reunited with his family.”
Radar Online reports that Joe’s mother and brother are waiting for him in Italy, where he has a house in Naples ready to move into.
The 47-year-old and The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice, who have been married since 1999, have four daughters: Gia, 18, Gabriella, 15, Milania, 14, and Audriana, 10.
On October 3, Joe was granted permission to leave Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, with two judges approving his request to travel to Italy while his deportation case is decided.
“[Joe wants to] begin working and contributing financially to his wife and four kids,” Leonard, Joe’s lawyer, said in documents previously obtained by Us.
Joe’s travel plans come a year after he was originally ordered to be deported to Italy. “Everyone is shocked that Joe is most likely moving back to Italy,” an insider told Us at the time. “Teresa never talks about Joe’s deportation to her friends. She doesn’t like to bring up their legal problems very often, but Joe being deported to Italy is very high up on her ‘never discuss’ list.”
The businessman was placed in ICE custody in March after serving three years in prison for fraud. And in September, his bond request was denied. “It’s a sad time with my husband and everything so we’re going to try and work it out as best we can,” Teresa, 47, told Us a day later. “The most important thing is our four daughters, so I’m hoping Joe is able to stay in the United States.”
Teresa, who completed an 11-month prison sentence for fraud in December 2015, explained to Us earlier this month that parenting solo has been a challenge. “Being a single mom — Joe left when I came home — it’s hard,” she said. “It’s like I have to be the mom and the dad. So I’m doing it all by myself. Everything. Taking care of the house, the kids, my dad lives with me, just everything. Being the breadwinner, doing it at all.”
She went on: “I do it because I look at my babies. I put them on this planet, I made them, so I can’t let them down. They look up to me, so that’s why I’m strong. I’m strong for them. I’m their role model. They look at me like, ‘You gotta tell me what to do,’ and that’s what I’m trying to do. … All four of them are very strong.”
