Court filings show devotion of Genovese gangster to his mother
The Oddfather’s son is a proud mama’s boy.
Accused high-ranking Genovese crime family associate Vincent Esposito lived most of his life with his aging mother, served as her primary caregiver and shared dinner with her most nights, according to court papers.
“I have never known another adult child who has the level of affection and care that (Vincent) shows to our aging mother,” wrote his sister Lucia in a letter urging his release on bail.
“He is an extraordinary son, brother, friend, human being and gentleman.”
Esposito, 50, is the namesake son of the late, legendary Genovese boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante and his longtime mistress Olympia Esposito, now 83.
Until Esposito’s January arrest, mother and son lived in a multimillion-dollar townhouse on the Upper East Side that became the focus of FBI surveillance in the 1980s.
Authorities searching the home recovered $3.8 million in cash stuffed inside old ammunition boxes, sacks, shoe boxes and envelopes when Esposito was arrested in January.
He is now locked up in the Metropolitan Correctional Center on charges linked to a long-running mob shakedown of local unions — although defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman hopes to spring Esposito.
According to a court filing by Lichtman, Esposito is “a man who is revered for his dedication to his immediate family and to others.”
Olympia Esposito’s only son ferried his ailing mother to myriad doctor appointments, including a pulmonologist, an oncologist, an orthopedist, a neurologist and an internist.
He also handled the grocery shopping and prepared many home-cooked meals for his mom.
His sister Carmella said the time since Vincent’s Jan. 10 arrest and incarceration is the longest stretch that he and his mother were ever apart.
High school pal Peter Thayer chimed in with a three-page letter vouching for Vincent’s family ties.
“Often a strong bond between mother and son exists, but the bond between Vincent and his mother is of an order of magnitude higher and is extraordinary and inextricable,” wrote Thayer.
“He values his mother and sisters above all else and would not flee causing them serious financial damage.”
Like his father, a lifelong resident of Greenwich Village, Esposito has rarely ventured out of the city — taking just a single 2010 trip to Italy for a friend’s wedding.
The Chin, as his dad was known, took a more novel approach to avoiding bail hearings. He famously feigned mental illness, a dodge that successfully spared him from prosecution for decades — and earned him the tabloid nickname of “Oddfather.”
Lichtman proposed a bail package that included a $6 million personal recognizance bond and home incarceration.
Prosecutors, in a Thursday response, questioned both Esposito’s honesty and the high praise offered in his support.
“The defense submission is long on hyperbole, but short on providing a complete and reliable factual survey of the defendant’s financial resources,” prosecutors said.
“As the court is aware, the defendant made significant and material misstatements . . . about his assets following his arrest.”
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/chin-gigante-jailed-son-devoted-aging-mother-attorney-article-1.3854028
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