Welcome to New Jersey, where convicted sex offenders can become party leaders. What does Bob Torricelli mean when he calls New
By Wally EdgeIn 1982, Trenton steakhouse owner Joseph "Jo-Jo" Giorgianni was convicted of molesting a fourteen year-old girl and almost avoided prison when his lawyers argued that at 565 pounds and suffering from asthma, he couldn't handle prison. A Judge actually bough the argument and Giorgianni remained free until he was videotaped in Atlantic City with a ringside seat at a boxing match -- surrounded what the Trentonian called "a cloud of cigar smoke." He eventually served three years in prison.
Now the convicted sex offender fancies himself as a political player. Three years ago he won election to the Republican County Committee in Trenton's North Ward, and apparently he played a key role in the recent Trenton mayoral campaign, backing Mercer County Freeholder Tony Mack over incumbent Douglas Palmer. Mack and Palmer are both Democrats. In 2004, Giorgianni contributed $2,000 to George W. Bush's re-election campaign.
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