Joseph V. Mastronardo, 65, 'gentleman gambler'
He got along well with his father-in-law Frank Rizzo
YOU MIGHT HAVE thought that Joe Mastronardo had to be Frank Rizzo's worst nightmare.
His only daughter, Joanna, married to a professional gambler!
It was well-known that Frank Rizzo, the longtime cop, police commissioner and mayor, had a passionate hatred of lawbreakers.
But Joe Mastronardo was different.
"I had many a conversation with Rizzo about this," said Dennis J. Cogan, a lawyer who often represented Joe. "He did not lecture Joe. He would wave his finger at him once in a while, but he came to realize that Joe was really a good guy.
"What Joe did was not something Frank would condone. But since 1978, when they were married, Frank came to understand the generosity and sweetness of this man."
Joseph "Joe Vito" Mastronardo Jr., who might have been a sweet guy but who was one of the most successful sports-betting bookmakers in history, almost of legendary status, earning millions over the years, died Monday in a federal prison in Massachusetts. He was 65.
He was sentenced in February to 20 months in the Federal Medical Center in Devens, Mass., even though the sentencing judge, U.S. District Judge Jan DuBois, acknowledged that the defendant was in "terrible health."
Joe Vito's lawyer, John W. Morris, had warned that sending his sick client to prison would be a death sentence.
Joe showed up in court looking gaunt and frail and breathing through an oxygen tank. He had suffered from throat cancer and a stroke in recent years.
Joe; his brother, John, 59, onetime standout football player at Villanova University; Joe's son, Joseph F., 33; and a dozen co-conspirators pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering, money laundering, conspiracy and running an illegal gambling business.
Joanna, 65, also was charged in the case, but the charges were dropped after the guilty pleas.
In 2013, more than $1.3 million in cash was seized at the Mastronardo home in the Meadowbrook section of Huntingdon Valley, Montgomery County. The loot included $1.1 million stashed in PVC pipes buried in the back yard.
The prosecution in the federal case said an additional $1.7 million in bank accounts was frozen by the feds, part of a seizure action that totaled more than $6.3 million.
There was also a money trail of wire transfers in excess of $3.2 million to financial institutions in Sweden, Malta, Antigua and Portugal, the prosecution said.
Joe's customers included some high rollers who didn't hesitate to plop $10,000 or $20,000 on a single sporting event. Joe was a skilled and influential oddsmaker and his "line" was followed by bookmakers around the country.
Over the years, Joe Vito insisted that what he was doing was not a crime. He never hurt anyone, and gambling was becoming more and more acceptable and legalized elsewhere.
Joe Vito wasn't called the "Gentleman Gambler" for nothing. He was never involved in violence, and was a charmer who made friends everywhere.
"He was a beautiful man," Cogan said. "He did wonderful things for people. He was complex and interesting, kind and compassionate.
"If a person couldn't pay his gambling debt, Joe would forgive the debt. It was just that he couldn't bet with Joe again."
Cogan said both Joe and his brother, John, took care of people who needed help. He cited the time John Mastronardo gave up his tickets to Super Bowl XXXIX to a woman dying of cancer whose last wish was to see the Eagles play the New England Patriots.
"They were special guys," Cogan said. "They didn't do things to get their names on buildings. That wasn't what they were about. They were low-profile."
Joe's lawyer, John Morris, said in a pretrial motion asking for house arrest rather than prison for his client, that Joe Vito was "Guys and Dolls," not "Goodfellas." He described him as having the charm of Paul Newman in "The Sting."
Joe's son, Joseph F. Mastronardo, was sentenced to five months in prison and five months of house arrest.
He told veteran mob writer George Anastasia, writing his "Big Trial" blog, that he thought his father was "the greatest, smartest, toughest guy in the world."
"If I turn out to be half the man my father was that would mean I'm an exceptional human being."
Joe's brother, John, was sentenced to nine months in prison and nine months of house arrest.
Joe Vito was born in Philadelphia to Joseph V. Sr. and the former Lucy Marsilio. His father, who had served time on gambling charges, died in April 2011.
Joe's working career began as a shoe-shine boy at the Meadowbrook County Club. He later was a caddy at Meadowbrook, Squires and Cedarbrook country clubs.
One of his jobs was to call in bets to a local bookie from some of the duffers whose clubs he carried. It was his introduction to gambling and it apparently shaped his future.
Over the years, Joe Vito was arrested frequently as prosecutors, both local and federal, sought to put him out of business. But after each arrest and some time behind bars, Joe Vito would be right back doing what he did best - taking bets.