Thomas "French Tom" Rivas (15 January 1981 - 16 May 2008) was a Puerto Rican criminal who worked as a male prostitute and a con man. In 2008, he was murdered by hired gun Niko Bellic on the orders of Brucie Kibbutz; Rivas had refused to repay one of Kibbutz's loans to him.
Biography[]
Thomas Rivas was born in Puerto Rico on January 15th 1981, the cousin of Lyle Rivas. Rivas' family came to the United States at a young age, settling in New York City. While Lyle Rivas would become a member of the Spanish Lords gang at a young age, Tom Rivas would be hired as a gay male prostitute by older men. In 1995, he was arrested for prostitution at the young age of 14, and he was again arrested in 1998. Rivas was known to charm older gay (sometimes married) men before stealing money from their bank accounts and leaving them, and he became known as a major con man in Brooklyn. In 1999, he was arrested for coercion blackmail, followed by a 2003 arrest for methamphetamine possession and a 2004 arrest for fraud.
Death[]
Rivas dead on the floor of the diner
In 2008, Rivas angered loan shark Brucie Kibbutz by refusing to repay a loan that Kibbutz had hiven him. Kibbutz, who had already had Lyle Rivas murdered, decided to hire Lyle's killer Niko Bellic to assassinate Tom as well. Niko's cousin Roman Bellic created a fake social media account that represented Niko as a wealthy and effeminate gay man who was "in need of strong arms", and Niko asked Tom Rivas out on a date through the computer. Rivas and Bellic agreed to meet at the 69th Street Diner near the Brooklyn waterfront at 6:00 PM on a Wednesday night. Bellic arrived at the restaurant, having just purchased some boots from the Russian store across the street, and he sat down at a table with Rivas. Rivas flirted with Bellic, asking him what his job was; Bellic asked what Rivas' job was, and Rivas showed his stupidity by asking who "Mr. Job" was. Rivas also told Bellic that he hated broke men such as Tony Prince, and Bellic asked him why he could not pay his debts back. Rivas became nervous, and he told Bellic that his finances were none of his business. Bellic stood up, leaving the table, and Rivas asked if his legs were hurting. However, Bellic drew a pistol, frightening Rivas, who attempted to stand up and flee. However, Bellic shot him three times, killing him.