Exclusive: Recording Academy Confirms Leroy Truth is Not a Grammy Winner

For over a year, Leroy Truth—real name Leonard Filipowski—has positioned himself as an independent investigator, targeting political figures, media outlets, and government institutions across Hudson County. His videos and confrontational tactics have gained traction in local activist circles and with online audiences who see him as an outsider exposing corruption.

But now, a key part of Filipowski’s public persona has been exposed as a lie.

The Recording Academy has officially confirmed to HudPost that Leonard Filipowski, publicly known as Leroy Truth, is not a Grammy Award winner, despite his repeated claims.

In an exclusive statement, the Academy made it clear that contributing musicians and composers on Grammy-winning albums do not automatically qualify as Grammy winners, particularly in the polka category in which Filipowski was involved.

“Mr. Filipowski is not a GRAMMY Award winner,” the Academy stated.

When asked if his work as a pianist and composer on a Grammy-winning album made him eligible for an award, the Academy was definitive:

“No – it was not an eligibly credited role for a GRAMMY-win in this category.”

Filipowski has been making this claim, though it is unclear when he first started. He has referred to himself as a “Grammy-winning pianist” in social media posts and YouTube videos.

The claim was disputed by HudPost in January when we reported on an incident at Monumental Baptist Church in Jersey City, where Filipowski was forcibly removed from the church. In his self-published video of the event, he once again referred to himself as a “Grammy-winning pianist and investigative journalist.”

At the time, HudPost examined public records and Grammy archives, finding no evidence that he had ever won the award. Now, the Recording Academy itself has confirmed that he was never a Grammy winner, fully debunking the claim.

After our reporting, Filipowski responded in an appearance on the Long Island Audit YouTube channel, a First Amendment “audit” platform with over 900,000 subscribers. When asked directly about HudPost’s reporting, Filipowski shifted the narrative, admitting he never received a Grammy trophy but still insisting he was a winner.

“I was on multiple Grammy records with [Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra],” Filipowski said. “If any musician plays on a Grammy-winning album… we are Grammy Award winners.”

However, Filipowski urged viewers to verify his claim by looking up the song “I Love to Polka” on Wikipedia—a song he says he composed. But an examination of the album’s official credits tells a different story.

The 1995 album, I Love to Polka, by Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra won the Grammy Award for Best Polka Album in 1996. The track “I Love to Polka,” which Filipowski claims as his own, is listed as part of the album, yet he does not appear anywhere in the album’s official personnel credits.

This further disproves Filipowski’s claim that “If any musician plays on a Grammy-winning album… we are Grammy Award winners,” since he is not even credited as a musician on the album.

The Recording Academy’s statement to HudPost directly refutes this, making it clear that Filipowski does not meet the eligibility criteria for official recognition as a Grammy winner.

For months, North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco has denied any connection to Filipowski, even as Leroy has aggressively targeted Sacco’s rival, Union City Mayor Brian Stack. Sacco recently reiterated his denial, stating: “I have never had any contact or involvement with Leroy Truth.”

Yet, Sacco himself previously referred to Filipowski as an “investigative reporter” who has made “startling accusations.” Now that the Recording Academy has confirmed Filipowski lied about being a Grammy winner, Sacco and others who have acknowledged or referenced his work find themselves in an uncomfortable position.

Do they distance themselves from a proven liar? Or do they continue to give credibility to someone whose biggest personal claim has been exposed as false?