Joe Giudice Plea Deal: No Jail Time For Teresa Giudice’s Husband?
Will a plea deal help Real Housewives of New Jersey star, Joe Giudice squirm his way out of jail time? According to NorthJersey.com, Giudice’s lawyers are trying to work out a deal with the state of New Jersey for charges that Joe used false documentation to obtain a driver’s license while his was suspended for drunk driving. These charges were brought against Joe in 2011 and are in addition to the fraud charges he and his wife, Teresa Giudice, will be sentenced for on October 2.
A report on NJ.com states that the hearing for Joe’s fake driver’s license charges will take place on Oct. 15, two weeks after a federal judge tells him how long he will go to prison for fraud. While his attorneys are trying to strike a plea deal for his false documentation charges, that won’t have any bearing on his federal sentence. In fact, it could mean he will spend even more time in jail, with the possibility of Giudice serving state time concurrently with his expected federal sentence.
#RHONJ Welcome Home Teresa & Joe. We’ll leave a light on for u. Hey Juicy Joe, anymore gay jokes before u move in? pic.twitter.com/v1or3JLRYB
— The Tweeter Rabbit (@MyJudgementCall) September 8, 2014
How much time could Joe get for allegedly using his brother’s identification to get a New Jersey driver’s license? NJ.com states that a state judge could order the RHONJ star to serve up to 10 years for identity fraud and up to 18 months for forgery. Add that time to the fraud charges, which are expected to carry as much as a four year federal prison sentence, and Joe Giudice could be looking at more than 10 years in the slammer.
It’s highly likely that Joe’s lawyers will get the concurrent state sentence reduced to add on as little jail time as possible, but that may not be the end of the legal road for Joe. E! Online reports that there is still a chance that he could be deported back to Italy after he is done serving time in jail for his long list of fraud charges.
While Joe and Teresa Giudice await their sentencing on October 3, they have been busy selling their homes and trying to raise cash to pay off their mounting legal bills. the Inquisitr previously reported that Teresa may end up being sentenced to home confinement, but that will be up to the judge to decide. Of course, Bravo will be present at all of the couple’s court dates so RHONJ fans don’t miss a minute of the legal drama surrounding the reality TV stars.
Whatever the sentence is, it’s likely that Joe Giudice will be locked up for a good amount of time. Once his federal sentence is handed down on Oct. 2, he will have 45 days to report to prison, with November 16 the latest date he can turn himself in. After he appears in court on October 15 for state charges, that would leave Giudice a month to enjoy his family before he goes behind bars.
