Yahoo –A man known as Nutzu the Pawnbroker has been indicted for leading a fearsome criminal gang, but the public seems to be more interested in his pets: four lions and two bears. Ion Balint — his real name — had long been known to have an affinity for wild beasts in his home. “You said I fed men to the lions?” Balint was recorded saying on a videotape as he rode away from prison on a black stallion in 2010. “Why don’t you come over and I’ll give you some lions!” Authorities won’t confirm that the lions and bears were used to intimidate rivals at his high-walled and heavily guarded estate in the poorest part of Bucharest. Balint, 48, a stocky man with a mustache and a receding hairline, often appears dressed in T-shirts and tracksuits. In 2009, Balint was convicted of human trafficking, violence and pimping, and sentenced to 13 years in prison. That was reduced to six years, but Balint was free after a year.

 

Not sure about you, but I really want to be friends with Nutzu the Pawnbroker. Guy’s got style. He’s got panache. I get that he’s probably Romania’s #1 murderer and if I pissed him off he’d feed me to mutant sharks or something. But I just can’t help but think that he could teach me a thing or two about living large. When this guy left prison he rode away on a black stallion and threatened to feed people to his pet lions. Pretty much the textbook definition of a badass. The time I got arrested  my mom had to pick me up in the family Ford Escape.  There’s definitely some room to grow there.

He’s also got his neighbors completely intimidated, so pretty much anything goes at his place. Hookers, boozing, feeding bears Romanian mobsters’ thumbs, trying on various silken tracksuits. Basically living the life. Considering Romania was able to keep him in prison for a full year after convicting him of human trafficking, I figure he’ll be out in about 3-5 for “allegedly” running Romania’s biggest crime syndicate. So hit me up Nutzu. I’d love to take the tour just as long as we gloss over the torture chamber portion.