After "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa Giudice spent nearly a year behind bars in 2015, the time has come for her husband Joe Giudice to say goodbye to his family as he starts his own prison term. Joe turned himself in this morning to New Jersey's Federal Correction Institute in Fort Dix where he is set to serve 41 months for bankruptcy fraud.
This morning, Joe was seen outside his home in New Jersey giving a passionate hug and kiss to his wife Teresa. The moment between the two was caught by camera crews for the upcoming season of "RHONJ," where Tersea's story line will focus on raising her four daughters while her husband spends nearly three and a half years behind bars.
"They are filming and will capture the last moments of the family together," a source said. "They will film him saying goodbye, and Teresa's reaction to him leaving and being alone with the girls."
Joe's prison sentence comes nearly three months after Teresa was released from prison after serving 11 months for the same crime as her husband. In 2014, the couple pled guilty to fraud after they were charged with 39 counts, including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, making false statements on loan applications and bankruptcy fraud. The couple initially pled not guilty to all charges, but later changed their plea.
While the judge ordered Teresa and Joe to both serve time in jail, she allowed the couple to serve their sentences at separate times due to their four young daughters: Gia, 15, Gabriella, 12, Milania, 10, and Audriana, 6.
"As a parent, you have to comfort your kids and do the best you can to make them feel good," Joe said. "There is only so much you can do, but it's a really good thing that my kids are strong. The whole year was tough without Teresa, but we made it through."
The father said he was not looking forward to missing out on the lives of his daughters for 41 months, but that he planned on making the most of his jail time.
"I'm looking at it like rehabilitation for me," he said. "I am not going to be able to drink for a while, which is good because I don't even know when it's been since I haven't had a drink. It's been a long time. Definitely the whole year, I definitely drank every day, couple bottles at night just to go to bed."
