Joe Giudice of 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' released from ICE custody, headed to Italy

Joshua Jongsma, North Jersey Record

Joe Giudice of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" fame is on his way to Italy Friday after being released from ICE custody while awaiting his appeal in a deportation case, according to multiple reports.

Last week a U.S. appeals court in Philadelphia lifted a stay in the Morris County man's deportation case, paving the way for his removal to his country of birth, said Jerard Gonzalez, one of Giudice's immigration attorneys.

Now "Entertainment Tonight" reports that he made the voyage Friday to Italy and left behind his wife Teresa and their four daughters. People magazine also reported on Giudice's status.

"Today is very bittersweet," the Giudice family attorney, James Leonard Jr., told "Entertainment Tonight". "Everyone is happy that he is no longer in custody, but the truth is that Joe Giudice belongs home with his wife and children in New Jersey and not in Italy."

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Giudice and his wife Teresa, both of Montville, gained fame on reality TV but later ran afoul of the law for allegedly amassing millions of dollars in fraudulent loans and hiding the wealth they gained from the show. He has been held at the Clinton County Correctional Facility in central Pennsylvania since March, after completing a 41-month jail sentence for mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud.

The father of four daughters asked the court last month to allow him to relocate to Italy while he fights deportation. The motion was filed days after Giudice was denied release on bond from the ICE facility.

Giudice was born in Saronno, in northern Italy, and was 1-year-old when he moved to the United States with his parents. He has lived in the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident or green card holder but never applied for citizenship. Lawful permanent residents can lose their status if they commit certain crimes.

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This article originally appeared on North Jersey Record: Joe Giudice, husband of 'RHONJ' star Teresa Giudice, headed to Italy