An average Joe would be spending this time living like a model citizen in the hopes of earning some last-minute brownie points. But, just weeks before a July 8 hearing that could send him to prison for 46 months (and ultimately end in deportation to Italy), disgraced reality star Joe Giudice is hitting the town — and the bottle — harder than ever.
Against the rather obvious advice of his attorney, Joe has been recklessly binging in advance of being sentenced for nine counts of bank, wire and mail fraud. While he dulls his pain with booze, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star’s behavior has become even more erratic than usual. “It’s out of control now,” a source close to the family tells Star. “Joe is all over the board and doesn’t even know which way to turn.”
Some signs have been obvious, like Joe’s embarrassing behavior one night in late May when he was spotted blatantly red-faced and bombed at Catch in New York City. But more troubling is his near-constant day drinking, done with his pals under the auspices of his buddy’s business.
“I’m sure he’s not happy to be going to jail for four to five years, but he was a functioning alcoholic to begin with,” another insider adds. “Ever since I met them, he’s out all the time. Daytime, nighttime — he drinks every day.”
And while Joe pounds wine with the guys, his wife, Teresa Giudice, stays home with the kids, determined to keep a low profile and hoping to get only house arrest (and not the maximum 27-month prison sentence). “She’s a complete mess,” a friend says. “She is better off without him, but will she do anything about it? Absolutely not.”
But those closest to the family still don’t see Teresa as a victim. “There is a laundry list of people they’ve screwed over,” the pal adds. “That house they live in? They basically built it by screwing people. There is no honesty in that household. That’s the way Joe lives — and it finally caught up with him.”
REPORTING BY LINDSAY DIMATTINA
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