A Surprise Potential Buyer of the Dodgers Lives in Studio City

The next owner of the Dodgers may be your neighbor, right here in Studio City.

Josh Macciello, 36, and his wife Anna and their three children live in a 4,600-square-foot home in a celebrity-studded section of Studio City. He compares himself to Rocky Balboa, the underdog who can do anything, and he seems like he can.

Here's how a profile on the Huffington Post Los Angeles website describes him:

He sports a ZZ Top-style goatee, tattoos, leather Chuck Taylors and colorful striped socks. ... He compares himself to Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Rocky Balboa.

Who he is? He's 36-year-old Josh Macciello, and he could be the next owner of the Dodgers. In his interview with KTLA Wednesday, Macciello made it clear that there are two things he has plenty of: 1) confidence and 2) money.

On his own website, http://www.joshfordodgers.com, there's a description of his house in Studio City, taken from another profile: 

The house is impressive, if understated. Family portraits hang over the fireplace. Sports memorabilia from Michael Jordan and fine china are on display. I'm looking closely at the house, tucked up in the hills on one of those narrow streets that tend to flood after heavy rains, because Macciello says he controls billions of dollars in assets and he just doesn't look the part. Could a 36-year-old guy wearing a black "Rocky Balboa" T-shirt, sporting Clark Kent glasses, tattoos on his biceps, a Cartier on his wrist and a pointed, graying beard on his chin really be in position to make a $1 billion-plus offer to buy the Dodgers? I'm skeptical. But curious. Everything seems like a clue, and a riddle. The furniture, the way he dresses. Is it nice enough? Is it too nice? Is he trying to impress me? Would a guy with as much money as he claims to have need to?

Check out the videos about him above, and see the photo gallery.

It seems that Macciello has come out of nowhere to become one of the top contenders to buy the baseball team. No one has heard of him, so he let a camera crew follow him around for four hours.

The video says the home his family lives in in Studio City is rented, and said he finished 17th in a World Series of Poker event in June of 2010. He is said to control billions of dollars of assets. He said he recently acquired some gold mines, and came into the money in just a few months.

He also told ESPN that he hit it big by working on financing for movies such as Angelina Jolie's Salt and Woody Harrelson's Walkaway Joe through the Armital Entertainment production company.

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Editor's Note 3/15/2012: An investigation by the L.A. Weekly found that Macciello did not have the money or assets he claimed to have lined up to bid on the Dodgers. In the article, which calls Macciello "a fraud," he admits to not having the resources to make such a deal. "I have nothing," Macciello told the Weekly. "My whole financing got pulled. I have no means, nothing."

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Some of his few media appearances have become infectious, and he has garnered fans.

He told KTLA, "I think the Dodgers are going to win the World Series this year, with me behind them. There is no doubt in my mind." He continued, "I'm not worried about the money part. I can beat any bid. I will say that. And all the bidders watching should know."

Read the whole story here. See some videos and photos of him above.