Buttafuoco Arrested, Charged With Fraud

Roanoke.com ^ | Dec 17, 2003 | AP

[TaxRelief]

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Joey Buttafuoco, whose affair with a teenager led to his wife's shooting in New York, was arrested Wednesday and charged with insurance fraud for allegedly making phony repair estimates at his auto body shop.

Buttafuoco, 47, co-owns California Collision of Chatsworth. He allegedly told undercover investigators how to file phony insurance claims for undamaged cars, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.

Prosecutors charged Buttafuoco with three counts of insurance fraud and one count of grand theft. He was being held on $50,000 bail.

The state also has filed a separate action to suspend or revoke the body shop's license, alleging the shop charged customers more than $12,000 for repair work that was not done, according to prosecutors.

A call seeking comment from Buttafuoco's lawyer was not immediately returned.

His arrest was part of an investigation into auto insurance fraud that netted 10 other owners or employees of Southern California repair shops.

While living in New York, Buttafuoco gained notoriety in 1992 when 17-year-old Amy Fisher shot his wife, Mary Jo, in the face.

Fisher, nicknamed the Long Island Lolita by the New York City tabloids, served seven years in prison.

Buttafuoco, who pleaded guilty to one count of statutory rape, served six months in jail. He and his wife later moved to California and divorced.

He allegedly told undercover investigators how to file phony insurance claims for undamaged cars, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office alleged in a statement.

Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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[martin_fierro]

Buttafuoco.

I just like saying, "Buttafuoco".

[shadeaud]

This idiot had his 15 minutes long ago. It's time he went to the joint and becomes someone's Hillary.

[TaxRelief]

AP Photo/Aubrey Reuben, File

[At _War_With_Liberals]

Most 'bodyshops'commit insurance fraud.

[Rodney King]

I kind of like him. If you are going to be a 100% piece of crap loser, you might as well do it with a little flair and pomposity then just sitting around with your furniture and applicance out on the lawn.

[Cicero]

Whatever happened to Amy Fisher?

Curious, I just did a Google search, and came up with her column for the Long Island Press. She's a columnist.

http://www.longislandpress.com/archive_fisher.asp

[billhilly]

Who would have believed this?

[martin_fierro]

Yeah, IIRC Amy got married, had a child and is trying to get her life back on track. Good luck to her.

[Always Right]

Who would have believed this?

Exactly. How could anyone believe this man of great integrity could be involved in insurance fraud. There is just no way.

[muleskinner]

Bush's fault

[Spell Correctly]

SNL was in its hay-day when they were making fun of this scumbag...

[Jumpmaster]

Give him white hair and who does photo remind you of?

[cavtrooper21]

Buttafuoco.
Porno Capitol.
Body shop.

Just Damn!!

[LasVegasMac]

This must mean that he has "paid his dues"....... and can now run for a political office.

As a 'Rat, of course.

LVM

[L`enn]

Chatsworth is right next door to Simi Valley. Strange place for a Porn Capital to be, though it is on the fringe of the San Fernando Valley.

[joesbucks]

Let me guess.

[L`enn]

Welp, you were right. This from a CBS story:

The epicenter of the porn industry is Chatsworth, Calif., a quiet suburb north of Los Angeles. It is indistinguishable from the other middle-class communities that sprawl across the San Fernando Valley, except for one thing. Tucked among the defense contractors and aerospace companies are dozens and dozens of adult film companies like Vivid Video, the porn industry equivalent of Paramount or Universal. It makes adult films, distributes them on video, DVD, and then sells them to hotels, cable companies and over the Internet.

[upchuck]

Once a slease, always a slease.