John Zaccaro

John Anthony Zaccaro (born April 5, 1933) is an American real estate developer. He is the owner of P. Zaccaro & Company, which was founded by his father Philip Zaccaro. The couple's finances, and his reluctance to make public his tax returns, became a major issue in that 1984 presidential campaign. He attended Iona College from 1951 to 1955 and graduated with a degree in business administration. John Zaccaro began as licensed real estate broker in 1951 and became a member of the Real Estate Board of New York in 1955.

In the late 1970s, Zaccaro was appointed a member of the New York City Housing Council. By 1984, Zaccaro's company owned or managed over 20 residential and commercial properties in Manhattan. According to a New York Times article, Zaccaro's buildings had accumulated over 100 code violations. While most of the violations were minor, some were serious, and tenants complained of poor conditions in some of the apartments. Ultimately they were submitted, but the matter diminished Ferraro's rising stardom and removed the momentum the Mondale–Ferraro ticket gained following the pick.

In January 1985, Zaccaro pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining bank financing in a real estate transaction and was fined $1,000 and was sentenced to 150 hours of community service. Zaccaro stated afterward, "My lawyers have advised me that since my client and I withdrew the loan application, since no one but I was injured, and since I received no benefit, they felt that they could successfully defend this case" but he said he entered the plea to spare his family more publicity and to "conclude the matter and try to return to private life." In October 1986, he was indicted on unrelated felony charges regarding an alleged 1981 bribery of Queens Borough President Donald Manes concerning a cable television contract. A full year later, he was acquitted of all charges at trial.

Zaccaro's business associations have also created controversy. During the 1984 campaign, Zaccaro was revealed to be the owner of a property rented by pornography tycoon and reputed organized crime figure Robert DiBernardo; much of the media minimized their coverage of the matter and law enforcement officials downplayed the allegations. These stories and the couple's finances again became a damaging issue during Ferraro's 1992 Senate Democratic primary campaign. She entered that campaign as the front-runner and lost by a close margin in a bitter primary contest.

Subsequent activity Zaccaro is president of P. Zaccaro Co., Inc. He works with his son, John Jr., a licensed attorney and real estate broker.

Personal life Zaccaro met Geraldine Ferraro in 1954 when she was a sophomore at Marymount Manhattan College. and were married on July 16, 1960. Zaccaro and Ferraro raised three children, Donna (born 1962), John Jr. (born 1964), and Laura (born 1966).