Has Joe Giudice's Prison Sentence Already Been Reduced?

Joe Giudice entered FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey on March 23 to serve a 41-month sentence in connection with the conspiracy and bankruptcy fraud charges he pled guilty to in 2014. However, according to Us Weekly, he could be out earlier than expected. The site reports that per his inmate status with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, The Real Housewives of New Jersey's husband's release date is March 14, 2019. That is five months less than previously expected. Giudice family attorney James J. Leonard Jr. is opening up about that report in an exclusive statement to The Daily Dish. 

"In the federal prison system, inmates typically serve 85 percent of their sentence. So when you're looking at a projected release date, what you're looking at is 85 percent of the actual custodial sentence," he said. "Additional time can and often does come off of the projected release date for things such as halfway house or home confinement, so in many cases an actual release date can be different than the projected release date. It seems very confusing, but it's actually not." However, he did not offer any specifics as to when Joe will be released.

Earlier this week, his wife, Teresa Giudice, opened up for the first time about Joe in an exclusive video on The Daily Dish. "I just want to say thank you so much to all my fans out there. All your love and support means the world to me and my family. It has been a difficult week for us, but we're making it through, thank God. Joe's doing as well as expected. Of course we spoke to him," Teresa said in the video, above. "And I just want to say thank you again from the bottom of my heart for being there, and for all your beautiful tweets. Love, love, love you, from my family to yours."

Teresa will return to RHONJ when Season 7 premieres later this year. Check out a preview, below.

See Teresa Giudice's Emotional Homecoming