Joe Nap Napolitano: The Colombo Associate Who Loved the Nightlife

Joseph (Joe Nap) Napolitano was a Colombo Family associate who dabbled in prostitution and the after-hours club rackets.

Joseph (Joe Nap) Napolitano was born in Bronx County in 1907. By the early 1950s, he had relocated out to Nassau County on Long Island which was described as one of the fastest-growing areas during that time.

Local law enforcement authorities described Napolitano as an old alcohol bootlegger and convicted bookmaker who was active in his home county before moving out to the island.

Joseph (Joe Nap) Napolitano

Once he settled into the area, he became active around the Mineola, Carle Place, and Westbury sections of the county and quickly went about resuming his criminal activities.

Nassau Police also documented him as either having managed or bought into several local bars and taverns over the years. These included the Jericho Lounge, The Sulky, and the Tivoli Accent Room.

Meeting with the Big Wigs

In 1962, he was observed repeatedly meeting at Old Country restaurant with top mob figures of the Profaci-Colombo Family, including iconic underworld figures and Cosa Nostra bigwigs Sebastian (Buster) Aloi, Salvatore (Sally the Sheik) Musacchio , and the notorious John (Sonny) Franzese.

Authorities said these meetings were in reference to expanding mob shylock operations to Nassau. They went on to describe “Joe Nap” as a well-known loanshark figure who operated along the Old Country Road strip in Westbury.

Other mob figures Napolitano was known to associate with included Colombo associates Giuseppe (Joe Bella Nap) Vito, Salvatore Calascione, Louis (Lou Curry) Arcuri, and soldier Vincent (Peg-Leg Jimmy) Giordano.

The "Entertainment" District

In early 1964, “Joe Nap” was arrested for bookmaking by Nassau Gambling Squad Detectives after he was surveilled taking bets from customers from the Jericho Lounge and several other Old Country Road bars and licensed establishments.

Months later in 1964, Nassau County District Attorney William Cahn arrested Joe Nap again. This time, he and 39 others were suspects in a sprawling Cosa Nostra-backed $200,000 a year organized prostitution ring operating along the Old Country Road “entertainment district” throughout Carle Place and Westbury.

Nassau authorities accused those arrested of either directing or allowing a half-dozen young prostitutes to ply their trade from inside various area restaurants, lounges, bars, and nightclubs.

Also arrested in this probe was another known Colombo associate and convicted race-fixer named Dominick Santoro.

Napolitano later received a one-year suspended sentence after he pled out to reduced charges of vagrancy for letting prostitutes do business from the Jericho Lounge which Napolitano had co-owned and managed.

Ted Nugent but Not That Ted Nugent

During the course of the investigation that later led to the prostitution indictment, Napolitano also came under criminal suspicion after his Jericho Lounge partner, Edmund (Teddy) Nugent, was found burned to death.

Nugent was found behind the wheel of his smoldering automobile in an abandoned parking lot.

The Nassau DA said that information from a police informant indicated that Nugent’s life had been threatened shortly before his death. Ted Nugent was suspected of having cooperated with investigators and signing incriminating statements during the prostitution probe.

Then in early 1965, Napolitano and another man, bartender Arthur Walthers, were arrested by Nassau Vice Detectives on charges of serving liquor after-hours from the Accent Restaurant in Westbury.

They were charged with State Liquor Law Violations after they repeatedly served bar patrons alcoholic beverages after 3 a.m.

After appearing in First District Court, Joe Nap was released on $1000 bail, and Walthers was released without bail. They later pled out and received criminal and administrative fines.

The After-Hours Club

In February of 1966, in keeping up the pressure against local organized crime operations, detectives of the Nassau County Vice Squad and U.S. Treasury federal agents conducted an early morning raid on the University Club in Jericho.

The University Club operated as an elaborate illegal “after-hours” club.

After several months of surveillance, authorities arrested Napolitano and several other men who were later described as underworld figures connected to the Colombo mob. Also taken into custody were Robert (Bobby Green) Falvo and Ralph (Ronnie) Esposito.

The aforementioned Dominick Santoro was later also charged in this case.

The men were charged with federal liquor law violations and federal tax stamp conspiracy. They eventually pled out to reduced charges, were fined, and placed on probation.

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