’20/20: Growing Up Buttafuoco’ on ABC covers every facet of Mary Jo Buttafuoco’s attempted murder, which took place in May 1992 on the porch of her Massapequa, Long Island, New York, home. Amy Fisher, a 17-year-old teenager, shot Mary Jo once in the face out of jealousy because she was having an affair with Mary Jo’s husband, Joey Buttafuoco. The family broke up as a result of Joey’s interactions and friendship with Amy, which made for several tabloid stories.
Who Is Joey Buttafuoco?
In the summer of 1991, Joey Buttafuoco, who was 36 at the time, began dating Amy Fisher, who was just 16 and less than a month away from turning 17 years old, and so still a minor. Due to their relationship, Amy became envious of his wife, which prompted her to attempt to kill him. Thankfully, Mary Jo lived, albeit she continues to have the bullet lodged inside her. After recovering, Mary Jo named Amy as the gunman; Amy was then accused of first-degree murder and taken into custody. Then, the affair’s revelation become public. Joey first denied being involved with her. He vowed on the life of their children that they had never had intercourse every time Mary Jo inquired. However, he now acknowledges it and calls it “inappropriate.”
The police attempted to accuse Joey Buttafuoco with at least statutory rape in 1992 after Amy was detained and the nature of their true connection came to light, but the case was later abandoned. However, a year later, on Geraldo Rivera’s talk show, a man claiming to work at Joey’s auto body shop disclosed that Joey had admitted to having sex with Amy when she was 16 years old. In light of this, the district attorney’s office filed a 19-count indictment against him, which also included statutory rape. Joey entered a guilty plea to one count of statutory rape in November 1993 and received the maximum term permitted by the charge: six months in prison. In addition, he received a $5,000 fine and five years of probation.
Joey and Mary Jo stayed wed during this entire ordeal. The pair even relocated to the West Coast in 1999 when Amy Fisher was granted parole from prison with the intention of starting again in Los Angeles, California. Only in 2003 did Joey and Mary Jo file for divorce.
Where Is Joey Buttafuoco Today?
Joey Buttafuoco was ultimately detained once more three years after the attempted murder and statutory rape cases, this time for soliciting a vice cop acting as a prostitute. He received a fine and a two-year probationary period. After pleading guilty to insurance fraud, he was then sentenced to a year in prison and five years of probation in March 2004. In 2007, Joey was also sentenced to three months in prison for unlawfully possessing ammunition. He got divorced and remarried during this time. In 2005, two years after his legally binding divorce from Mary Jo, Joey wed Evanka Franjko. They allegedly met at his California auto body shop. Records show that Evanka had previously petitioned for divorce but afterwards withdrew it.
After being accused of insurance fraud, Joey was permanently barred from working in the auto repair industry, where he made his living. Joey Buttafuoco has experience in the entertainment industry as a result of living in Hollywood. The Underground Comedy Movie, Finding Forrester, Better Than Ever, and Operation Repo: The Movie are among the films in which he has appeared. In addition, he has boxed Amy Fisher’s ex-husband Louis Bellera on “Celebrity Fight Night” and defeated former WWE wrestler Chyna on “Celebrity Boxing.” Joey is currently developing a biopic about his life, according to ABC. He reportedly remarked, “I’m not that kind of guy that’s gonna sit here and blame anything on anything and how I got here.”
“I decided for myself. No matter how wise or foolish my decisions were, I created my own existence. I made some wise decisions and some poor ones. With that, it is clear that he is prepared to let the past go and is also eager to accept full responsibility for his part in it, even if it will be difficult for him.
