Toms River Police/Getty
Thomas Lippolis, JWoww’s ex-boyfriend, is a part of the reality star’s past that still haunts her a decade later, according to a report she gave police.
Lippolis and JWoww, whose real name is Jennifer Farley, had a relationship which only lasted about one year. In December 2018, she told police he tried to extort her, offering her $25,000 to keep her secrets. Lippolis was arrested by Toms River Police and charged with third-degree extortion.
At the time of their relationship, Lippolis was JWoww’s manager.
JWoww has also said that Lippolis was physically and mentally abusive to her. Their relationship began in 2009, and seemed to be tumultuous nearly from the start. Jersey Shore cameras caught some of the apparent abuse. She said she considered the Jersey Shore house a refuge, after he threw he luggage and berated her before leaving. Lippolis claimed the abuse went both ways, and said in a 2011 interview Farley stabbed him.
Up until December, it seems from Lippolis’ Instagram he led an ordinary life. He remained in the Jersey Shore area and often posted about his godson, who was a baby at the time of his arrest.
Here’s what you need to know:
Thomas Lippolis Was Charged With Extorting JWoww
Thomas Lippolis was arrested in December 2018 for allegedly telling Jennifer Farley he would reveal the reality star’s secrets if she did not pay him $25,000. The two had been broken up for about 10 years after a relationship that lasted about one year. The demand for money was initially made to Farley’s publicist, police said. Toms River Police opened an investigation after Farley’s report, and arrested him, charging him with third-degree extortion December 19, 2018.
Police shared a mugshot of Lippolis on Facebook and wrote, “On December 17, 2018 Jenni L. Farley reported to the Toms River Police Department that an ex-boyfriend, Thomas Lippolis, had attempted to extort $25,000 from her in exchange for not divulging secrets to the media about Farley. This information had been given to Farley through her publicist who had initially received a phone call from Lippolis demanding the money. Farley and Lippolis had dated for close to a year approximately ten years ago. On December 19, 2018 Toms River Detectives Tom Grosse and Jon Turner initiated an investigation into these allegations. On December 19, 2018 Detective Grosse arrested Lippolis and subsequently charged him with 3rd Degree Extortion.”
“The media and the public are reminded that criminal charges are accusations only. Every criminal defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.”
Farley thanked the police and prosecutors for their professionalism, saying their efforts kept her and her children safe. She released a statement to Entertainment Tonight, which said, “I would like to applaud the Toms River Police and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office for their professionalism, expedited response time and unwavering attention to detail that resulted in an immediate arrest after I was the target of a serious crime. I feel fortunate to have the support of law enforcement of this caliber by my side, which has thankfully kept me and my children safe from those who have sought to victimize me.”
“While I am unable to comment any further in light of the ongoing investigation, I offer to you that I will share more once this matter is concluded, but in the meantime ask that you please respect the private nature of these legal matters so that the authorities may properly conduct their business operations.”
JWoww Said Lippolis Abused Her When They Were Dating
JWoww and Thomas Lippolis had an intense breakup that was caught on MTV cameras. Farley said Lippolis moved out of their house, leaving her dogs unattended for three days after saying other people would watch them. Instead, on an episode of Jersey Shore, she claimed he left with her belongings and left her dogs unattended.
“That was something I never expected from him,” she said on Opie and Anthony.
She said Lippolis denied stealing her things. She said she filed a police report, and he returned some of her things damaged to the police station months later. The motherboard on her hard drive was damaged and she could not salvage any pictures, and a $22,000 watch had $1,400 in damage, she said. The hard drive contained nude photos of JWoww, which she claimed he tried to sell.
“He made statements like it wasn’t true. I’d like to go on the record, like I did file a police report, and he returned my things to the police station, so how is it not true?”
When she was leaving for the Jersey Shore house, JWoww said on the show Lippolis pushed her down the stairs because he didn’t like some of the clothes she packed. She said he would threaten to let her dogs loose if she “made a mistake.”
Lippolis claimed Farley also abused him, saying she stabbed him and he had to get 57 stitches.
“She literally stabbed me with a knife,” he said on Radar Online. “It looked like something out of a surgery TV show. … She cut right through the muscle, my bicep.”
He didn’t report the alleged abuse to police. The fight started when he posed with another woman for a photo.
Lippolis Was Acccused Of Trying to Sell Nude Before & After Photos of JWoww
When Farley and Lippolis broke up on Jersey Shore, she said he stole a hard drive which contained nude before and after photos, before and after plastic surgery. She accused him of trying to sell the photos, and MTV attorneys got involved.
At the same time, Lippolis was suing JWoww, saying he secured her the deal with Jersey Shore that made her $17,500 per episode. Legal documents obtained by TMZ said Farley never paid him for his management services. He said he also secured her potential for a $75,000 bonus depending on the show’s ratings, deals with night clubs and a tanning lotion company and lined up her plastic surgery. He demanded $350,000 in the lawsuit.
MTV sent Lippolis a letter which said his “final payment” was being arranged. It added, “It has come to [Jwoww’s] attention that you may be in possession of certain photos of her that may be derogatory to her image and in violation of her contract with MTV,” according to TMZ.
Lippolis eventually returned a damaged hard drive to the Toms River Police station, Farley said in an interview with Opie and Anthony.
Lippolis Was JWoww’s Manager During Their Tumultuous One-Year Relationship
Jenni Farley and Thomas Lippolis dated for about one year starting in 2009. Their relationship was marred by drama and even abuse, accusations of cheating caught on camera and extortion.
At the time Lippolis and Farley were dating, he was her manager.
Farley went on to marry Robert Matthews, but the two later divorced.
Lippolis is now accused of third-degree extortion for allegedly demanding $25,000 to keep quiet about secrets he claims he has about Farley.
Lippolis Continued Living In Jersey Shore & Often Posted On Instagram About Family
Prior to Lippolis’ arrest December 19, 2018, he was working as a project manager in Jersey Shore. A LinkedIn profile belonging to Lippolis was deleted after the arrest.
His Instagram profile, which hasn’t been updated in one year, shows many photos of a baby he described as his godson.
“Clearly channeling thoughts to each other, since he can’t talk yet,” he captioned a photo of he and the baby with their foreheads touching.
He shared a photo with his mother on Mother’s Day, writing, “This is an oldie but one of my favs…”
His last post was from a Las Vegas club with a group of men. “Walking dead at this point barely made it out…” he wrote.