Nicholas Riccio and Karoline Leavitt with their son, Niko© karolineleavitt / Instagram

For someone who claims her husband is super private and the complete opposite of herself, Karoline Leavitt sure is fond of parading Nicholas Riccio around — directly or indirectly. When she’s not showing off her flashy engagement ring, she’s boasting about their supposedly picture-perfect age-gap marriage. She even goes to great lengths to bridge their massive age difference by wearing frumpy outfits. But perhaps there’s a reason for that — maybe Riccio’s net worth? He does have a real estate empire, after all.

You wouldn’t immediately guess that Riccio is wealthy judging from his humble beginnings. He struggled to finish college, worked low-paying jobs like stocking grocery shelves, and even lived in his car at one point. “When I was 19 or 20, I would call my buddies to go over to their houses to watch a game just so I could take a shower,” he shared with Seacoast Online. But despite it all, Riccio had a gritty determination and the belief that success was just around the corner. After graduating from Plymouth University, he jumped headfirst into real estate, even taking on risky predatory loans. It was a gamble, sure, but it all paid off. And now, he has more properties than he could count. Even local authorities are impressed by what he does. “Nick is renovating buildings to a point where families will be interested in coming in,” Hampton Police Chief William Wrenn said. “His properties are clean, they have new appliances and many nice renovations. He really is trying to change the image.”

With a net worth reportedly ranging between $6 million and $45 million, it’s safe to say that Riccio is doing just fine. So fine, in fact, that he can work around Leavitt’s busy schedule as White House press secretary — no problem.