Jeffrey Rackover, the New York diamond dealer who became publicly known through the 2016 murder of Joseph “Joey” Comunale, has largely disappeared from public life. He was never criminally charged in connection with the killing or the disposal of the body, though the victim’s father sued him civilly in Manhattan Supreme Court. As of 2026, there is no confirmed public record of his current whereabouts, ongoing business activity, or public appearances.
Who Jeffrey Rackover Is
Rackover built a decades-long career as a private jeweler to a small roster of roughly 100 wealthy clients, operating out of New York’s Diamond District and a private showroom rather than a retail storefront.1DNAinfo. Jeffery James Rackover Joseph Comunale Sutton Place Murder His customers included Oprah Winfrey, Diana Ross, Donald Trump, and Jennifer Lopez; Trump selected him to provide Melania Trump’s engagement ring, and Winfrey once called him a “go-to guy.”2Haute Living. Every Girl’s Best Friend: Jeffrey Rackover’s Jewels A lifelong bachelor, he lived in a high-floor apartment at the Grand Sutton, a luxury building on East 59th Street in Manhattan.
His name entered the news not for jewelry but for his connection to a younger man he had taken in as a surrogate son. Around 2013 he met James Beaudoin, a Florida man with a long arrest record who had recently finished a prison stretch. Jeffrey gave him a spare bedroom in the Grand Sutton apartment, paid him a monthly allowance reportedly around $10,000, enrolled him at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and helped him land a job as an insurance broker.3New York Post. Jeweler to the Stars Helped Cover Up Son’s Murder: Lawsuit In March 2015 Beaudoin legally changed his surname to Rackover. There was no formal adoption, but the two introduced each other as father and son.4Vanity Fair. Murder at Sutton Place
His Connection to the Comunale Murder
On the night of November 12, 2016, Joey Comunale, a 26-year-old from Stamford, Connecticut, went to an after-hours party in Apartment 4C of the Grand Sutton, a unit James Rackover had secured within the same building where Jeffrey lived on the 32nd floor. After the other guests left in the early morning, Comunale was beaten and stabbed 15 times in the chest by James Rackover and Lawrence Dilione.5CBS News. Joseph Comunale Murder: James Rackover Gets Max Sentence
The body was wrapped in plastic and a comforter, dropped from the fourth-floor window to the sidewalk, loaded into the trunk of a black 2015 Mercedes-Benz registered to Jeffrey Rackover, and driven to a secluded area in Oceanport, New Jersey, where it was burned and buried in a shallow grave.6Vanity Fair. Murder at Sutton Place James Rackover was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced in December 2018 to 28⅔ years to life in prison, the maximum allowed; Dilione pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and received 23 years.7New York Post. Killer in Jeweler to the Stars Case Gets Maximum Prison Sentence
The Civil Lawsuit Against Him
Pat Comunale, the victim’s father, sued Jeffrey Rackover in Manhattan Supreme Court. The complaint alleged that Jeffrey provided cleaning supplies used to sanitize the murder scene, allowed James to use his Mercedes to transport the body, and was aware the crime had taken place.8Stamford Advocate. Lawsuit Alleges Jeweler to the Stars Aided in Cover-Up It sought punitive and compensatory damages for wrongful death, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and violations of the family’s right to retrieve their son’s remains.9Stamford Advocate. Father of Slain Stamford Man Files Suit The suit also alleged the relationship between Jeffrey and James was sexual and that Jeffrey provided “drugs, money and other benefits” in exchange for companionship. Both men denied those allegations.3New York Post. Jeweler to the Stars Helped Cover Up Son’s Murder: Lawsuit
Through his attorney, John J. Rosenberg, Jeffrey Rackover denied any involvement, saying he “had absolutely nothing to do with these tragic events” and expected “total vindication.”10National Jeweler. Well-Known Jeweler Helped Cover Up Murder, Lawsuit Says His initial public spokesman, retired NYPD detective Bo Dietl, said Jeffrey was “devastated” and had entered James’s apartment only to walk a dog. Dietl later walked back that specific claim and referred further questions to Rackover’s lawyer.11New York Daily News. Bo Dietl Blames Media for Uncovering Mountain of Ugly Revelations The final resolution of the civil case is not reflected in available public reporting.
Why He Was Never Criminally Charged
No criminal case has ever been brought against Jeffrey Rackover in connection with Comunale’s death.10National Jeweler. Well-Known Jeweler Helped Cover Up Murder, Lawsuit Says The victim’s attorney, Robert Abrams, publicly predicted in 2017 that the civil case would produce enough evidence to prompt criminal charges, but none have been filed in the years since. The available reporting does not explain the prosecutors’ reasoning, and the file is silent on whether any grand jury considered his conduct.
After James’s arrest in November 2016, friends and family urged Jeffrey to cut ties with his surrogate son, and by all accounts he did.3New York Post. Jeweler to the Stars Helped Cover Up Son’s Murder: Lawsuit James continues to maintain he was not in the room when Comunale was killed and participated only in the cover-up out of fear. On June 5, 2025, the Appellate Division, First Department, unanimously affirmed his conviction and the 2022 denial of his motion to vacate.12FindLaw. People v. James Rackover None of that appellate activity has reopened the question of Jeffrey Rackover’s role.
Where Jeffrey Rackover Is Today
There is no confirmed public record of Jeffrey Rackover’s current whereabouts. He has not surfaced in media coverage, industry profiles, or public events in any way reflected in available reporting. His firm, Jeffrey Rackover Diamonds, was noted as operating in the Diamond District as late as 2017, but whether it continues is unknown.
Public interest in the case was renewed in March 2026 with the release of the second season of Netflix’s documentary series Homicide: New York, which revisited the Comunale murder and the figures around it. James Rackover remains incarcerated at Elmira Correctional Facility in Chemung County, New York, with an earliest possible release date of July 16, 2045. Dilione is at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, with an earliest release date of January 12, 2037.13People. Where Are the Men Who Attacked Joey Comunale Now Jeffrey Rackover, by contrast, is unaccounted for in the public record, which, given the arc of the case, appears to be the point.