Dennis N. Griffin - A FAMILY BUSINESS: The Life And Times Of Joey The Fixer Silvestri

A FAMILY BUSINESS published by:

WILDBLUE PRESS

P.O. Box 102440

Denver, Colorado 80250

Publisher Disclaimer: Any opinions, statements of fact or fiction, descriptions, dialogue, and citations found in this book were provided by the author, and are solely those of the author. The publisher makes no claim as to their veracity or accuracy, and assumes no liability for the content.

Copyright 2019 by Joe Silvestri and Dennis N. Griffin

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

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ISBN 978-1-948239-92-9 Trade Paperback

ISBN 978-1-948239-93-6 eBook

Interior Formatting/Book Cover Design by Elijah Toten

www.totencreative.com

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my family with all my love.

My wonderful wife Babe, my daughter Linda, and my son Joseph and his wife Lisa.

My grandchildren: Joseph and Antoinette, Vanessa and her husband Anthony, and Christopher and his wife Liz.

And my great-grandchildren: Nino, Michael, Alexia, and Christopher.

PREFACE

I was introduced to Joe Silvestri by our mutual friend Tony Napoli. Tony is the son of the late Genovese crime family capo, James Jimmy Nap Napoli. Jimmy was highly respected by all five of the New York City families. So much so that for years he ran the largest illegal gambling operation in the country on their behalf. I think Tony is best described as old school. He believes in being loyal and has little tolerance for those he feels are not. When he suggested to me that Joe had some interesting stories to tell, I paid attention.

The beauty of a recommendation from Tony is that no further vetting is necessary in regard to trustworthiness. You dont make it onto Tonys friend list unless you are a standup guy. I knew that before I ever talked with Joe, and I think Joe felt the same about me. When I did speak with Joe, it did not take very long for me to understand why Tony liked him. I agreed to write his story.

Over many hours of recorded conversations, Joe captivated me with his experiences while working at The Copacabana, meeting entertainers such as Tom Jones, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, and Frank Sinatra. He and Sammy Davis became close friends. He also met celebrity customers from the entertainment and sports worlds. His story about the basebrawl incident involving several New York Yankees playersincluding Billy Martin, Mickey Mantle and Hank Bauerwas fascinating. The Copa was frequented by some of the top mobsters of the day as well, whom Joe refers to as VIPs. Joe got involved with the rackets himself in the form of illegal gambling and was quite successful at it.

A major turning point in his life came when he met a businessman named Frank Cioli, who owned the famous Grimaldis pizza chain. Their relationship started out positive and Joe became manager to a couple of the stores. However, as time passed, Joe came to realize he had partnered with a scoundrel. Frank pulled some very dirty deals on Joe and several of his other business associates. It was a rather disappointing ending for Joe.

Despite that, I enjoyed writing the book and developing a relationship with Joe. He is truly a standup guy.

Please note that some of the names appearing in this book have been changed to protect the identities of certain individuals.

Denny Griffin

INTRODUCTION

My name is Joseph Silvestri. My mother called me Joseph, but to most everybody else I was Joe or Joey. I was born in Astoria, Queens, on May 1, 1932, and had five brothers and two sisters. When I was six, we moved to Jackson Heights, also in Queens. We were about the only Italian family there at the time. Id say I had a normal childhood and was an average or above student.

If I had to name my biggest fault as a kid and young adult, Id say it was my penchant for using my fists. I was quick to fight and was pretty good at it. I wasnt particularly big, but I packed a wallop that broke some jaws and noses over the years. That talentif thats the right wordcame in handy on some occasions and caused problems other times.

After an abbreviated stint in the US Air Force in 1949, I spent several years working as a bartender or bouncer at various clubs in New York City, including three years at the world-famous Copacabana. I also worked some of the biggest illegal blackjack and poker games in the city. In that capacity, I met and became friends with many of the greats in the entertainment industry, as well as famous sports figures. I had contact with a number of people from the other side of the law tooorganized crime. In this book Ill refer to them as very important people or VIPs.

The stories Ill share with you are all true, and in most cases, this may very well be the first time youve heard of them. In those you may have heard of before, such as the 1957 brawl at the Copa involving several New York Yankees players, Ill provide inside details from my position as an eyewitness and participant.

You may find some of my accounts to be serious, humorous, or simply informative. My hope is you will find them all entertaining.

1 : Fisticuffs

One of my early memories is when I graduated from grade school to high school. I was excited because I was in the chorus and we were going to sing on stage during the ceremony. I wasnt much of a cut-up, but I had two friends who were. Before we went on stage, the three of us were talking. Our music teacher told us to quiet down or wed be excluded from singing. I became very quiet, but not my buddies.

The teacher said to me, Youre out of the exercise.

Why? I didnt do anything.

Okay, tell me who did.

I wouldnt give up my friends, and when the chorus was called on stage, I had to stay in my seat. I was crushed .

My mother and aunt were in the audience. When the diplomas were handed out and my name was called, they saw me walk up from the student section all by myself and join my classmates. On the way home, my mother asked me about it. I said, Mama, I got a very special award and they wanted me to walk up there by myself, so Id get full recognition.

She accepted that explanation and was proud of me.

I went on to Newtown High School in Elmhurst, Queens, where I met the girl who would become my wife a few years later. But my first day there started out with a problem. A kid I didnt know came up to me and said, Are you Joe Silvestri?

Yeah, I am.

When your older brother went to school here, he beat up my brother. Now Im gonna kick your ass.

We went to an empty lot across the street from the school to duke it out. There was a big crowd of students around and most of them were rooting for me. I gave that kid a real whipping.

Teaching a bully a lesson was one thing, but I had trouble controlling when and on whom I used my fists. It was an issue that stayed with me most of my life.

* * *

When I turned seventeen in 1949, I quit school and joined the air force. It had just separated from the army and become its own branch. That was one of the biggest blunders I ever made in my life. I didnt know what real racial prejudice was until then.

I went for basic training in Texas, and then on to an assignment in Biloxi, Mississippi. My first problem in Biloxi came when I loaned a black kid in my outfit a civilian sweater I had. He told somebody where he got the sweater and about six guys converged on me in the barracks. They kept saying, Where is that nigger lover? They beat the hell out of me with their hands and feet. I sustained some injuries and still have stomach issues after all these years. Following that incident, I became rebelliousthe air force wasnt for me and I wanted out.

One day when I was assigned to the company headquarters (HQ), the first sergeant gave me a letter to deliver to another HQ. On my way, I stopped by the field where the football team was practicing and didnt get the letter delivered until about an hour later. When I got back, my first sergeant was pissed off. Where in the fuck have you been?