Celebrity Jeweler’s Son Points Finger At Pal In Upper East Side Slaying

By Dave Goldiner May 7, 2017

The adoptive son of a Jewish jeweler to the stars is reportedly blaming his pal for killing another man after a night of partying at a posh upper East Side apartment.

James Rackover, whose father Jeffrey is a jeweler with an A-list clientele, told the Daily News in a jailhouse interview that his buddy and co-defendant carried out the slaying after losing his temper last year.

The pal, Lawrence Dillone, told cops it was Rackover who killed Hofstra University alum Joseph Comunale to cover up his brutal beating.

Dilione “threw me under the bus to save his own a—,” Rackover, 26, told the News. “What motive would I have?”

Jeffrey Rackover’s clients include Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez and Denzel Washington.

James Rackover claims he was unfairly targeted because of his dad’s celebrity status.

“Why is it always me?” he said. “It’s because of my last name.”

Dave Goldiner is the Forward’s director of digital media. Dave is a veteran journalist who has spent two decades working at newspapers in the United States and Africa. A native New Yorker, Goldiner wrote for the New York Daily News, where he covered some of the biggest stories of our time, including the attacks of September 11, along with thousands of stories of hope and heartbreak. He also studied and worked in Southern Africa and has written for publications in South Africa and Zimbabwe. He holds masters degrees in journalism and public administration from Columbia University. Dave can be reached at goldiner@forward.com, or follow him on Twitter @davegoldiner

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