Posted on 01/20/2004 11:09:08 AM PST by alisasny
COVER STORY
Old Dog, Same Tricks
By Amy Fisher
Amy Fisher in 1997
Several weeks ago, I was getting ready to attend my mother's birthday party when I received a call from one of my best friends. She was in the hospital, having just given birth. "How wonderful," I told her, knowing the joy she was experiencing. I thought she had called to tell me about the baby. Nope, she just had to call to tell me Joey Buttafuoco was arrested...again! I quickly laughed, not really surprised that he would be in trouble with the law.
I would have rather discussed the baby. I keep hoping I can separate our lives, but I can't.
That night, every news station covered Buttafuoco's arrest for insurance fraud, and many newspapers followed suit the next day. The headlines did not scream, "Convicted sex offender/probation violator/wannabe actor arrested for the third time in a decade!" Nah, there's no fun in that. Instead, every story started off explaining how he made headlines years ago when his teenage girlfriend shot his wife. Most of the articles never even bothered to describe his past troubles with the law.
I have spent 12 years futilely attempting to distance myself from Joey Buttafuoco as one might try to get rid of psoriasis. Just hearing his name makes me nauseous. I'm the wild child who grew up. To a teenager, which is what I was when I met him, Joey Buttafuoco was right up there with X-rated movies, violent video games and getting drunk: a taboo we outgrow and eventually prefer to forget. We all have sections of our lives we'd rather keep to ourselves for fear of disapproval from peers, family and friends. I keep trying to throw my skeleton back in the closet, but he is forever jumping out to star in B-movies, perp walks and mug shots.
The tabloid '90s enabled Buttafuoco to cash in on his notoriety. He took advantage of the millions to be made. He wanted to become a movie star, believing he was famous instead of realizing he was just infamous.
He left Long Island with the dream of being an actor and hobnobbing with the rich and famous. Before Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton, there was Joey Buttafuoco, pursuing his dream in such unheard-of films as Better Than Ever and The Underground Comedy Movie. His résumé? Having sex with a minor and incarceration for statutory rape; soliciting a prostitute in California; probation violation and more jail time. I guess having been on television on both coasts for these offenses, he felt ready for the big screen.
Joey Buttafuoco essentially is the boy who never grew up, a lawbreaker who lives in his own world of "anything goes." He doesn't adhere to the spoken or unspoken rules of society, and when caught, the consequences for him have been minimal. I spent seven years in prison for my horrible act and four years of strict parole, and I learned my lesson. I learned why I did it, and I learned I must pay society and my victim back by being a good person. What he talked me into doing was unthinkable, and although I was a mixed-up kid at the time, I take responsibility for my actions and try to live a respectable life.
But it's different for Joey Buttafuoco. The slaps on his wrists didn't teach him anything. Perhaps that's why he never changes his behavior. Buttafuoco has been involved in illegal activities in the auto repair business for years. I was witness to many. But a decade ago, the authorities in New York didn't care. My lawyer went to the police about Buttafuoco's unsavory business practices, but they did nothing. The authorities in California and the federal government seemed to do the homework the Long Island authorities let slide. Unbelievably, Joey's still doing the same thing now. His most recent arrest could land him in prison for up to six years. It will be interesting to see if his luck has finally run out.
Joey Buttafuoco had to sit in the L.A. County lockup, initially unable to post his $50,000 bail. It's almost comical that after the millions he made from the tabloids being the "Long Island Lothario," facing off on Celebrity Boxing (his match against the woman ex- wrestler, Chyna, was a low point of his "career"), his acting career, and his illegal auto body shop activities, that he couldn't come up with the bail money.
When I first got out on parole, Joey Buttafuoco told reporters, "You haven't heard the last of Amy Fisher," insinuating I would at some point get in trouble again. I went back to school and earned my degree. I am married. I have a child. I have a career. I am working on causes to help troubled teens and to keep guns out of the hands of kids—things that will make society better. Sorry, Joey, you got it all wrong. Again.
She really thinks he got a slap on the wrist....amazing...
IT WAS SHE WHO GOT THE SLAP.
Read some of her articles in this paper to see how delusional this girl is.
SAD.
IT WAS SHE WHO GOT THE SLAP.
Read some of her articles in this paper to see how delusional this girl is.
SAD.
Actually it IS sad that a 36 yr old "man" seduces a 16 yr old girl with problems, then only gets 4 months when his wife is almost murdered for his lack of judgement.
Amy Fisher did the time she was given, and has diligently gone about improving herself. Has Joey? I've read her articles. Do you realize that she had to have plastic surgery and a legal name change just to earn an honest living? That she turned down sleazy offers from magazines like Playboy to pose nude? No matter how broke she was, she was determined to act with integrity and morality. Has Joey?
Ohhh no, let's blame Amy. If Joey Buttafuocco had gotten what he deserved, he'd still be in jail for his very large part in the attempted murder of his wife. Thanks for the email link, I think I'll voice my personal opinion.
Sort of like blamming Monica for ruining the Clinton legacy.
Well try this, keeping in mind that "keeping guns out of the hands of..." is what anti-gunners say when they mean total civilian disarmament
I am working on causes to help troubled teens and to keep guns out of the hands of kids—things that will make society better
Then she should fit right in to the NY press shouldn't she. Has a great future as a newswriter for the Times.
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