Conservative Babylon

Claims to fame: Morbidly obese restaurateur (JoJo’s Steakhouse, Trenton, New Jersey); Republican Committeeman, Trenton North Ward; convicted child molester

Moral apex: In 1980, the then-565-pound 33-year-old was convicted of “carnally abusing and debauching the morals of a 14-year-old girl” “after forcing her to drink liquor in the back room of Mr. Giorgianni’s restaurant … in 1978,” and was sentenced to prison for 15 years — but was released on parole in 1985, after serving just three years.

Nickname: “The Quarter-Ton Sex-Offender”

The kicker: Giorgianni was elected three times to Republican Committeeman for the North Ward… as a convicted felon. Yes, after he earned his place in the Conservative Babylon Hall of Shame.

Do Republicans have no shame? Is that a rhetorical question?

Anything else? Yeah — the creep is a goldbricker. He almost avoided prison altogether…

…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.”

So, is he still a GOP committeeman? For the time being. Explains WPVI-TV:

Because committeeman is a party position, not a public one, the Attorney General’s office says Republican Party rules would dictate whether Giorgianni can serve despite being a convicted sex offender.

What will happen remains to be seen but more than 20 years after his brush with the law Jo Jo Giorgianni finds himself back in the spotlight again.

Random facts:

• Giorgianni weighed 493 pounds when he entered prison in 1982, and weighed 429 pounds upon his parole in 1985.

• “In 2004, Giorgianni contributed $2,000 to George W. Bush’s re-election campaign.” [PolitickerNJ.com]

Memorable observations:

I just do not want the people of Mercer County thinking Jo-Jo, who committed one of the most famous violent crimes in Mercer County history, somehow is a spokesperson for the Republican Party. He is not. He is a child rapist.

— Assemblyman Bill Baroni (R-Hamilton)
September, 2006

Sadly he is not listed on the Megan’s Law offender registry due to his crime predating the law. Jo Jo is a stain on the city of Trenton and belongs in obscurity, not on the front page. I’m surprised the lardy has not yet collapsed under his own weight, more the pity.

— William T Luther, Jr.
Trenton, NJ
September 13, 2006

Suggested Bible reading for Mr. Giorgianni:

And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

— Proverbs 23:2-3