Category: Journal

THE LITTLE THIEF
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THE LITTLE THIEF

the staff of the Ridgewood blog Saddle River NJ, If you want to be the “king” of all con men, you have to start young. So instructs local author Thomas Giacomaro, who penned his lauded memoir, The King of Con: How a Smooth-Talking Jersey Boy Made and Lost Billions, Baffled the FBI, Eluded the Mob, and...

C-NOTES FROM HEAVEN
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C-NOTES FROM HEAVEN

the staff of the Ridgewood blog Saddle River NJ, Well, it was twenty years ago today…when a bunch of FBI guys got hit in the head with a million bucks, falling from the New Jersey sky. Until that moment, April 2002 had been going okay for NJ con master, Thomas Giacomaro, author of the 2018...

THE MAN WHO SAID NO TO “STREAKY” GATTO
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THE MAN WHO SAID NO TO “STREAKY” GATTO

the staff of the Ridgewood blog Saddle River NJ, Notorious NJ con artist and mob-associate, Thomas Giacomaro, refused to become a mafioso “made man” in the early Eighties. Why, you ask? He didn’t want to kiss the ring. “That’s right. Everybody was kissing Streaky Gatto’s ring,” says Giacomaro, “except me.” That’s Louis “Streaky” Gatto he’s...

THE LITTLE CASUALTIES OF WAR
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THE LITTLE CASUALTIES OF WAR

the staff of the Ridgewood blog Saddle River NJ, Childhood memories of spring are usually happy and bright: Icicles dripping, chocolate Easter bunnies, putting your sneakers on after a long, Jersey winter. For local anti-hero, Thomas Giacomaro, spring reminds him of the day he saw his father almost kill two men.  He was 5 and...

AND THE OSCAR FOR BEST PSYCHO PERFORMANCE GOES TO…
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AND THE OSCAR FOR BEST PSYCHO PERFORMANCE GOES TO…

the staff of the Ridgewood blog Saddle River NJ, in honor of last night’s Academy Awards—and actor Will Smith’s unhinged outburst—local bad-boy-turned good, Thomas Giacomaro, tells us his nickname was once “the Italian Hannibal Lecter.” The Anthony Hopkins drama, The Silence of the Lambs, swept the Oscars exactly 30 years ago winning five main categories—Best Picture, Best...

What is Wefunder or Equity Crowdfunding
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What is Wefunder or Equity Crowdfunding

Today April 5th 115pm We help everyone invest as little as $100 in the startups they love.  You can think of us like “Kickstarter for investing”. Unlike Kickstarter, you are not buying a product or donating to an artist. Instead, you are investing in a business with the hope of earning a return on your...

BUT DOES IT HAVE A JAPANESE KOI POND?
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BUT DOES IT HAVE A JAPANESE KOI POND?

the staff of the Ridgewood blog Saddle River NJ, If you try to Google-map it, the house is shrouded in shrubbery and leafy Northern Red Oak. But it’s still there, the 8,000 square-foot mansion on Fox Hedge Road in Saddle River, NJ—a potential upcoming shooting location this fall for the upcoming docuseries, The King of Con,...

HAWAIIAN PIZZA? FUHGETTABOUTIT!
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HAWAIIAN PIZZA? FUHGETTABOUTIT!

the staff of the Ridgewood blog Saddle River NJ, Last week’s episode of The Walking Dead had pizza purists yelling molto bene when the show delivered a reprimand to ignorant Pizza Hut eaters: Never, ever, put pineapple on a pizza.  During a scene where one of the characters is going for surgery, the patient’s brother promises him pizza when he...

TAKE THE CANNOLI
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TAKE THE CANNOLI

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Francis Ford Coppola’s Academy Award-winning masterpiece, The Godfather the staff of the Ridgewood blog Saddle River NJ, this month marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Francis Ford Coppola’s Academy Award-winning masterpiece, The Godfather.One-time NJ con artist and Genovese associate, Thomas Giacomaro, will never...

VALENTINE’S DAY ON THE LAM
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VALENTINE’S DAY ON THE LAM

Phillyfaces had previously announced that in conjunction with the Ridgewood blog we have been chosen to work on the King of Con docu-series filming in Northern New Jersey later this year. The production company is currently doing a fundraiser where they are offering an equity stake in the profits from the series: https://wefunder.com/the.king.of.con.docuseries.2022  . Filming...