Joe Giudice Releases Statement Hours After Turning Himself In For Prison Sentence

Joe Giudice has only been in prison for a matter of hours, but he’s already felt compelled to release a statement about his sentence.

The reality star had his attorney, James J. Leonard Jr., release the announcement that he had surrendered in order to begin his 41-month sentence after he and wife Teresa pleaded guilty to fraud three years ago.

The statement read, “Joe Giudice surrendered himself to the Federal Correctional Institution at Fort Dix today at 12 p.m. to begin serving his sentence. His brother, his sister and several other members of the Giudice family, as well as myself, were present when he turned himself in to the prison, including Teresa. It was obviously a very emotional day, but this is a very strong family with a tremendous support system and they will get through this, just as they did when Teresa was away.”

Joe only had a few months with Teresa before he had to turn himself in, as she came home in December in time to celebrate the holidays with her family. Teresa Giudice served less than a year for her part in the crime of bankruptcy fraud and came out looking fit, healthy, and ready to start her book tour and get back in front of the cameras. Since her release, Teresa has been active on social media and recently took the time to thank the couple’s fans for all their support while her family undergoes some serious changes.

“I want to thank all of you for the love & support you have shown my family during this difficult time. It means the world to all of us,” Teresa wrote.

I want to thank all of you for the love & support you have shown my family during this difficult time. It means the world to all of us

— Teresa Giudice (@Teresa_Giudice) March 23, 2016

Love this pic of @TrueGia & Joe pic.twitter.com/O7bEsalSXz

— Teresa Giudice (@Teresa_Giudice) March 22, 2016

Joe said while Teresa was serving her sentence that it wasn’t easy being a single parent to their four girls, but they made it work and pushed through it as a family. Giudice also praised his girls for being “so strong,” saying that things were tough while Teresa was away but they did great.

Joe Giudice also said before surrendering for his prison sentence that he is trying to see it in a positive light, because the past year has been so difficult for him that he turned to alcohol for comfort. Now, he says, he won’t be able to do that, and in a way, he’ll be getting a sort of rehabilitation.

“I’m looking at it like rehabilitation for me. 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 a couple bottles at night just to go to bed,” Joe said.

Teresa and the children made sure to give Joe as much affection as they could before he left to serve his sentence, and it’s unclear how much they’ll be able to see him before he’s released. Joe will reportedly be given access to email, phone privileges, and visiting hours, however, and prison coach John “Doc” Fuller told Page Six recently that the reality star will be taken care of during his time served by the Italian population in Fort Dix.

“They’ll make sure he has his shower shoes, they’ll show him the ins, they’ll show him the outs. Not that he totally has to trust all of them, but the Italians at Fort Dix are pretty close-knit.”

[Photo by Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images]