It’s called hard time for a good reason. Joe Giudice, who began serving a 41-month sentence for fraud at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, New Jersey, last March, is “miserable” behind bars, says a family friend in the new issue of Us Weekly. “It’s worse than anyone expected.”
The reality personality, 44, who shares daughters Gia, 15, Gabriella, 11, Milania, 10, and Audriana, 7, with his wife, Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa, “misses his kids so badly,” adds another insider. “He’s having difficulty being away from them.” The source notes that he bonded with the girls when Teresa, 44, served nearly a year in prison in 2015. (She was also convicted of fraud.) Says the insider, “He got so close with them when he was with them alone.”
At FCI Fort Dix, the former contractor “sits alone much of the time and is falling into a depression,” says the friend. One welcome distraction: “Joe has two friends he plays cards with,” says the source. “They gamble with commissary items.”
When he’s not placing bets, he works out solo at the prison gym. The sweat sessions are paying off: Teresa told Extra September 16 he lost more than 30 pounds and looks “amazing.” Laying off junk food helps, too. “He’s not eating pasta and all the Italian goodies he was accustomed to before prison,” adds the insider. “His dislike of the [prison] food and all the stress is helping him lose weight.”
Teresa tries to lift his spirits with regular visits. As she told Extra, “I talk to him every day, sometimes twice a day. He calls me and we email constantly throughout the day, and I see him every week.”
