What Did Joe Giudice Do? Fraud, Prison, and Deportation

Joe Giudice, the former Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member, pleaded guilty in 2014 to federal conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, three counts of bankruptcy fraud, and failure to file a federal tax return. What Joe Giudice did was spend years lying on mortgage applications, hiding assets and income in bankruptcy, and skipping his taxes entirely from 2004 through 2008. He served 41 months in federal prison and was then deported to Italy because he had lived in the United States as a lawful permanent resident since infancy but never became a citizen.¹

The Fraud Scheme

Between September 2001 and September 2008, Joe and his then-wife Teresa Giudice submitted false mortgage and loan applications to multiple banks, overstating their employment and income. In September 2001, Teresa applied for a $121,500 mortgage by claiming to be an executive assistant and submitting fabricated W-2s and pay stubs. In July 2005, the couple sought a $361,250 mortgage by representing that Teresa was a realtor earning $15,000 a month, income she was not actually receiving.¹ Prosecutors said the couple obtained roughly $4.6 million in total through fraudulent mortgage applications, home equity lines of credit, and construction loans.²

The deception continued after the Giudices filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on October 29, 2009. In their filings and in sworn testimony to a U.S. Trustee, they concealed businesses they owned, rental income, and Teresa’s earnings from The Real Housewives of New Jersey, website sales, and personal appearances. They also hid anticipated income from the show’s second season and testified falsely under oath about their assets.³

Joe separately admitted he had not filed any federal income tax return from 2004 through 2008, a stretch during which he earned $996,459 in unreported income.¹

The Guilty Plea and Prison Sentence

A federal grand jury in New Jersey indicted the Giudices in July 2013 on 39 counts, and a superseding indictment that November brought the total to 41.⁴⁵ On March 4, 2014, Joe pleaded guilty to five counts: conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, bankruptcy fraud by concealment of assets, bankruptcy fraud by false oaths, bankruptcy fraud by false declarations, and failure to file a tax return.³

On October 2, 2014, Judge Esther Salas sentenced Joe to 41 months in federal prison, two years of supervised release, and a $10,000 fine. The couple was jointly ordered to forfeit $414,588.¹ Joe began serving his sentence in late March 2016 at the federal prison in Fort Dix, New Jersey, and was later transferred to the Allenwood Low Federal Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania.⁶

A Separate State Case for Driver’s License Fraud

Joe also had a state conviction. In January 2010, he was arrested for driving under the influence after crashing into a telephone pole, which cost him his driver’s license.⁷ By then, his license had been suspended 47 times since he first became a New Jersey driver in 1987.⁸

In June 2010, with his license still suspended, Joe walked into a Motor Vehicle Commission office in Paterson, New Jersey, and obtained a new license using his brother Pietro’s birth certificate and marriage license. The scheme unraveled during a routine traffic stop involving Pietro, when officers noticed Joe’s photograph on the license. A Passaic County grand jury indicted him for wrongfully using identifying information and impersonation.⁹ He later pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of possessing a fraudulent driver’s license and, on April 2, 2015, was sentenced to 18 months in state prison to run concurrently with his federal term, along with a $10,000 fine and a two-year license suspension.¹⁰

Why He Was Deported

Joe was born in Saronno, Italy, and brought to the United States by his parents when he was one year old. He spent his entire adult life in New Jersey as a lawful permanent resident but never applied for U.S. citizenship.¹¹ Under U.S. immigration law, lawful permanent residents convicted of an “aggravated felony” or a “crime of moral turpitude” can lose that status and be deported.¹²

In October 2018, while Joe was still in prison, Immigration Judge John Ellington ordered him removed to Italy upon release.¹³ On March 14, 2019, he finished his federal sentence at Allenwood and was transferred directly into ICE custody at the Clinton County Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania.¹² The Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed his appeal in April 2019.¹⁴ On October 3, 2019, a Philadelphia court lifted a stay in the case and allowed him to relocate to Italy while he continued contesting removal. He flew to Rome on October 11, 2019, after about seven months in immigration detention. His final appeal was denied in April 2020.¹⁵

Where Joe Giudice Is Now

After initially settling in Italy, Joe moved to Nassau, Bahamas, around 2021.¹⁶¹⁷¹⁸ His 20-year marriage to Teresa ended in a divorce finalized in September 2020.¹⁹

Joe has publicly acknowledged that his deportation was his own fault for never obtaining citizenship, while maintaining that his crimes were “minimal” and should not have cost him permanent removal.¹⁶ In June 2025, after President Donald Trump pardoned reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, Joe launched a social media campaign asking for a presidential pardon, tagging Trump and Donald Trump Jr. with “#PardonJoeGiudice.”²⁰ As of mid-2025, no formal clemency petition had been filed with the Department of Justice. His immigration attorney, Jessica Cadavid, said the next step would be contacting the Justice Department directly and that she does not believe Joe will be granted permanent residency again, though he hopes to be allowed to visit his four daughters in the United States.²¹ Trump has not publicly responded.

1
U.S. Department of Justice. Real Housewives of New Jersey Stars Sentenced to Prison
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The Hollywood Reporter. Real Housewives of New Jersey Stars
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FDIC Office of Inspector General. Real Housewives of New Jersey Stars Plead Guilty to Conspiracy
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U.S. News & World Report. Real Housewives of New Jersey Stars Indicted on Fraud
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U.S. Department of Justice. Stars of Real Housewives of New Jersey Television Series Indicted on Additional Fraud Charges
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NBC Boston. Joe Giudice Released From Prison to ICE Custody
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People. Joe Giudice Arrested Again
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ABC News. Joe and Teresa Giudice Charges by the Numbers
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New York Post. More Legal Troubles for Giudices
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ABC7 New York. Real Housewives of New Jersey Star Sentenced for Driver’s License Fraud
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NorthJersey.com. Real Housewives of New Jersey Joe Giudice Heads to Italy
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People. Joe Giudice Freed From ICE, Flies to Italy
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Good Morning America. Real Housewives of New Jersey Star Joe Giudice Ordered Deported
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CNN. Joe Giudice Deportation Appeal Denied
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People. Joe Giudice Third Deportation Appeal Denied
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Yahoo Entertainment. Teresa Giudice Ex Joe Giudice
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People. Gia Giudice Shares Update on Dad Joe Giudice’s Life in Bahamas
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Yahoo Entertainment. Joe Giudice Announces Big Career Update
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People. Teresa and Joe Giudice Divorce Is Final
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Newsweek. Why Was Joe Giudice Deported? Bravo Star Asks Trump for Pardon
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The Independent. Joe Giudice Trump Pardon Chrisleys