For the about the past five years, it's been nothing but bad news for the Giudice family of Real Housewives of New Jersey fame.

From the moment that Teresa and Joe Giudice were found guilty of tax fraud, they knew they were in for quite a bit of pain and torment in the years to come.

But the reality of their current situation likely exceeds even the worst-case scenario that the Giudices could have conjured in their imaginations.

Though he's completed his prison sentence, Joe Giudice is now facing deportation to his native Italy.

While he was born in the Italian village of Serrano, Joe's family relocated to Paterson, New Jersey when he was less than a year old.

He claims to have no knowledge of his home country, and Teresa has made it clear that she will not be moving to Italy if Joe is deported.

And so, nothing less than Joe's family life and his ability to earn a living are at stake.

While there was a time when it looked as though Giudice would be able to throw himself upon the mercy of the court, these days, his options are disappearing rapidly.

Giudice's first appeal was rejected, and while he's still in the United States, it seems increasingly likely that Joe will be making an unwelcome trip across the Atlantic very soon.

His teenage daughter Gia even appealed to President Trump to intervene on her father's behalf, but the request fell on deaf ears.

Now, Giudice's lawyers are pulling out all the stops in a last-ditch effort to keep Juicy Joe stateside.

According to Radar Online, the top-dollar legal team pulled off a minor victory this week by receiving an extension for Joe's final appeal, thus delaying his deportation.

Joe was originally slated to submit his appeal on July 15, but now has until July 18 to prepare his final argument.

That may not sound like much of a win, but those few days could turn out to be significant, as Giudice recently attracted the support of The Immigrant Rights Clinic of Washington Square Legal Services (IRC).

According to a statement issued by the IRC, the “amici curiae are demanding that they appear before the Third Circuit Court judge” in order to argue Giudice should be permitted to remain in the US.

It may only be a glimmer of hope, but it's better news than the Giudiceds have had in a long time. 

And we're sure Joe is hoping this is his opportunity to turn his dire situation around.

While the man is far from innocent, we wish him all the luck in the world as he battles against this cruel and unusual punishment.