The King of Con: How a Smooth-Talking Jersey Boy Made and Lost Billions, Baffled the FBI, Eluded the Mob, and Lived to Tell the Crooked Tale

253 Pages·2018·7.32 MB·English

by  Thomas Giacomaro

Praise for The King of Con
“The King of Con is for real and his story reveals how big money, big business,
and the mob really work. Required reading.”
—NICHOLAS PILEGGI, author and screenwriter of Goodfellas and Casino
“Tom Giacomaro is a master manipulator and natural-born crime boss you’ll
love to hate and hate to love. His life story is a roller coaster ride of high finance,
underworld intrigue, and dazzling riches that will leave you exhilarated,
exhausted, and wanting more.”
—NINA BURLEIGH, New York Times bestselling author of The Fatal Gift of
Beauty: The Trials of Amanda Knox and national political correspondent for
Newsweek

Disclaimer: The events, locations, and conversations in this book, while true, are recreated from
Thomas Giacomaro’s memory. However, the essence of the story, and the feelings and emotions
evoked, are intended to be accurate representations. In certain instances, names, persons,
organizations, and places have been changed to protect an individual’s privacy.
Copyright © 2018 by Thomas Giacomaro
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without
written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
All photos, unless otherwise stated, are courtesy of Thomas Giacomaro’s personal collection.
BenBella Books, Inc.
10440 N. Central Expressway, Suite 800 | Dallas, TX 75231
www.benbellabooks.com | Send feedback to [email protected]
First E-Book Edition: September 2018
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Giacomaro, Thomas, author. | Stoynoff, Natasha, author.
Title: The king of con : how a smooth-talking Jersey boy made and lost billions, baffled the FBI, eluded the
Mob, and lived to tell the crooked tale / Thomas Giacomaro and Natasha Stoynoff.
Description: Dallas, TX : BenBella Books, Inc., [2018] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018008469 (print) | LCCN 2018011275 (ebook) | ISBN 9781944648039 (electronic) |
ISBN 9781944648022 (trade paper : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Giacomaro, Thomas. | Swindlers and
swindling—United States—Biography. | Criminals—United States—Biography.
Classification: LCC HV6692.G496 (ebook) | LCC HV6692.G496 A3 2018 (print) | DDC 364.16/3092 [B]
—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018008469
Editing by Brian Nicol
Copyediting by Scott Calamar
Proofreading by Chris Gage and Cape Cod Compositors, Inc.
Front cover design by Pete Garceau
Full cover design by Sarah Avinger
Text design and composition by Silver Feather Design
Printed by Lake Book Manufacturing
Distributed to the trade by Two Rivers Distribution, an Ingram brand www.tworiversdistribution.com
Special discounts for bulk sales (minimum of 25 copies) are available.
Please contact Aida Herrera at [email protected].
For my sweet Lauren
CONTENTS
Prologue: Man Overboard
PART I
CHAPTER 1 Sins of the Father
CHAPTER 2 The Making of a Criminal Mind
CHAPTER 3 High School Capo
CHAPTER 4 Blood on the Streets
CHAPTER 5 Highway Robbery
CHAPTER 6 Whitey and Jimmy
CHAPTER 7 Golden Tongue
CHAPTER 8 An Unmade Man
CHAPTER 9 Mobbed Up
CHAPTER 10 Sleeping with the Fishes
PART II
CHAPTER 11 Angels and Demons
CHAPTER 12 Buying, Bleeding, Busting
CHAPTER 13 Life on the Lam
CHAPTER 14 Informants
CHAPTER 15 A License to Steal
CHAPTER 16 Two (Other) Nickys and a Funeral