Joe Giudice rejects plea deal, heading to trial this fall
Joe Giudice aka Juicy Joe appeared in court this morning to face fraud and identity theft charges following his attempt to obtaining a driver’s license using his brother’s name in June of 2010. Joe’s license had been suspended just a few months prior after being charged with DUI. Today, Joe was offered a plea deal which he refused, opting to instead proceed with a trial.
Joe arrived to court late this morning and without his Real Housewives of New Jersey wife Teresa Giudice. According to NorthJersey.com, he had gotten lost in the underground parking lot of a nearby mall.
Joe spoke briefly to Tom Murro of Celebrity Magnet in the hallway before court. When Tom asked him what he planned on doing with the case, Joe replied, “I don’t know, If I wasn’t on TV this would be over already, they dismissed my brothers 1-2-3.” Tom witnessed Joe pacing around the hallways and chatting on his cell phone prior to entering the courtroom. Oddly enough, Joe’s lawyer, Miles Feinstein, was also late which led to a “scolding” by the judge once he was ready to hear their case.
After the case was heard, Joe received the state’s plea offer of five years in state prison. Following the plea offer, Joe’s attorney countered by requesting an adjournment until Oct 1st.
Although the Passaic County Chief Assistant Prosecutor had previously stated that a probation only judgement was out of the question, Joe’s lawyer insists that “because Giudice has no prior criminal convictions, he should be eligible for probation.” In Joe’s home state of New Jersey, obtaining a false driver’s license is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He is also facing a forgery charge which can fetch up to 18 months in prison.
Things aren’t looking good for Joe. Maybe he should have taken the five years — he’d only end up serving two and a half.
