Did Celebrity Jeweler Help ‘Son’ Cover Up Brutal Murder?
Jeffery Rackover Image by Getty Images
A new lawsuit accuses celebrity jeweler Jeffery Rackover of helping to cover up a murder carried out by his adoptive son — and says the younger man was really his lover.
It’s another bizarro turn in a shocking murder investigation launched last November, when Joseph Comunale was found dead in Oceanport, N.J.
James Rackover, 26, was arrested along with two friends after video surveillance placed Communale in his apartment on the night of the murder.
Authorities determined that the apartment was paid for by Jeffery Rackover, jeweler to Melania Trump, Jerry Jones, and Oprah Winfrey, among others. Rackover claimed James as his adoptive son. James Rackover, born James Beaudoin, changed his name in 2015 after claiming that Jeffery was his “real father.”
The lawsuit, filed by Comunale’s father, says that Beaudoin was in fact Rackover’s lover, given an apartment and a monthly allowance. Furthermore, citing newly available surveillance footage, the lawsuit also claims that Rackover allowed Beaudoin to use his own car to transport Comunale’s body to New Jersey.
Lawyers for Rackover wouldn’t comment.
Contact Jesse Bernstein at [email protected] or on Twitter @__jbernstein
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
