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Toledano’s fast and rocky ride

At 26, Raphael Toledano has gone from being a high school dropout waiting tables to one of the East Village’s biggest landlords

Raphael Toledano (Photo by Michael McWeeney)
Raphael Toledano (Photo by Michael McWeeney)

From the June issue: Raphael Toledano has difficulty staying still. On a recent afternoon, the stubble-faced real estate wunderkind sat in his office, dressed in a black suit and leather slip-on shoes that he said he designed himself. He alternated between puffing on cigarettes — both tobacco and electronic — eating fresh mango slices and popping pills for a headache.

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Before commencing the interview, Toledano, a Sephardic Jew who prays three times a day, wondered aloud about the ethics of journalists. “Do you believe in God? Yes or no?” he asked this reporter. Once at ease, the 26-year-old investor proceeded to launch into a mile-a-minute monologue about his achievements that often included frat-tastic boasts about his wealth.

“I’m worth a fuckload of money, bro,” he said. [more]

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