Joe Giudice -- Cops Plea In Driver's License Scam -- No Deportation ... For Now

You can call Joe Giudice a wise guy -- already looking at 41 months in prison for a federal fraud conviction ... he wisely copped a plea Wednesday in a different fraud case, after prosecutors made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

Giudice agreed to plead guilty to charges of driver's license fraud. He was busted in 2011 for impersonating his brother to get a license ... because his own was suspended due to a DUI.

Prosecutors threatened him with a 10-year prison sentence -- which would be tacked onto his federal sentence -- and raised the possibility of immediate deportation.

Instead, he accepted a plea deal for an 18-month sentence ... but he will be allowed to serve it at the same time as his federal sentence. In other words -- he won't serve any additional time.

Despite the deal ... "The Real Housewives of NJ" star was in a sour mood on the way into court -- telling photogs, "I'll kick every one of yous in the head."