The Lexicographer's Rules

"Swag wasn't the same thing as out-and-out stealing. It was an unwritten rule in Jersey CityŃand all of Hudson CountyŃthat you could take as much merchandise as you could carry from your job. The politicians skimmed off the top, so why shouldn't the little people?"

—New York Times. In her new book, Five-Finger Discount, Helen Stipinksi recounts growing up in Jersey among a family lightly endowed with ethics. "Her great-uncle Frankie swindled young couples, offering them cut-rate weddings that resulted in 'dozens, if not hundreds or thousands' of fake marriages in Jersey City. Her cousin George was arrested for committing 57 burglaries in a four-month crime spree. And her great-aunt Katie's son, Mike, who graduated from Harvard Law School and ran for mayor of Jersey City, would be disbarred for misappropriating client funds."'

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?