Patty Testa, the Neighborhood Car Guy

There are only three main ways a person ends up if they choose "the life" over working hard and being legit. One way is to end up doing life in some Federal or State prison.  A second way to end up is joining Team USA.  The third and final way a person in the life ends up is to be murdered.  Murdered by your friends. That is exactly what happened to Patrick “Patty” Testa.   Testa was born March 11th, 1957.  He was murdered on December 2nd, 1992.

It took me 20 years of trying to do things the wrong way to finally see the light. Some people, for instance Eddie Garofalo and his wife Alicia, must really enjoy the life. We shall see how long Edward Garofalo 57501-053 likes it where he is now.  

Roy Demeo

Back to  Patty Testa.  Patty started off his Mafia life in the Roy Demeo Gambino Family crew when he came to Roy’s attention because of his skill working on cars. Patty was a worker.  He worked very hard on cars, unlike so many “car guys” who just have others work for them.  Soon Patty was working with Roy Demeo in what would become the largest stolen car operation in New York.  The FBI called it The Empire Boulevard Operation.  It worked like this: the crew would steal cars all over New York and then use altered vin numbers and fake papers so they could ship them from New Jersey to either Puerto Rico or Kuwait.  The partners in business were taking home more than 30k a week and this was back in the late 1970's!  

Patty Testa

Patty had a brother, Joey, who was a heavy hitter in the Roy Demeo crew.  He was very well respected and when the FBI finally shut down Roy’s crew and Roy was killed, Joey and his buddy Anthony Senter would get sentenced to life in prison for the murders they committed with Roy. It has been said that the two men, Joey and Anthony, are the ones who killed Roy and left him in his trunk.  Patty was never charged in any of the murders.  Believe it or not, both Joey and Anthony will be free men in 2032 because they were sentenced under the old laws.

After the end of Roy, Patty transferred to the Luchese family where he was soon back to his old car tricks.  He opened up a place called Patty Testa Motor Cars in Brooklyn.  He knew how to make cash.  Back in those days, you used to be able to buy just a VIN number.  Back then they didn’t have such a thing as a salvage title. They would buy the VIN, go to an insurance company and get "the car" insured. They didn’t take pictures of the cars and you didn’t have to have a police inspection.  Then, in a month or so, they would report the car stolen.  

VINs

Patty used to sell used cars and some of them were VIN jobs.  He would sell them and then give a copy of the key to some car thieves in a Gambino crew.  They would steal the car back before the person was pulled over or had any problems.  Once, a friend of mine who worked with Patty, followed a guy around all day so they could steal his Seville.  He saw them following him.  He happened to be a wiseguy, so he must have thought he was getting clipped.  He parked by his house and they stole his car.  Later that day, he went to Nicky Corrozzo, because he knew his guys stole cars.  He asked Nicky if he could do anything to help him.  Nicky called his guys in and one admitted he stole it, but it was already gone to Patty. The owner told him he would give him 10k if he could get his car back because it had something inside it.  They ran to Patty, but Patty told them sorry, its a tin can now.  

Patty was made along with Tommy Red, Rocco V and Giampo into the Luchese Family.  He would soon take on an important role in the family. Vic Amuso had become boss and his underboss was now Gaspipe Casso.  By 1991 they had gotten word from some dirty cops that they would be indicted.  So they went on the lam in two jeeps provided by Patty.  Soon Patty was the go-between for Vic Amuso and his men.  He set up all the meets and drove guys to them.  This did not last long because somebody, probably Gaspipe, tipped off the Feds to Vic’s location, and he was arrested. Gaspipe let it slip that it may have been Patty, and soon one of his friends walked into his garage and shot him dead.  Gaspipe then told people it was the Gambinos, and it was so believable that George Conte was going over to shoot Little Nicky Corrozzo in his club.  A lot of people blamed Frank Listerino for the murder, but he was pulled over by FBI Agents right afterwards and he had no gunpowder residue on him or his clothes, no weapons.  I’m sure one of his Froggy friends blasted him to suck up to Gaspipe.

I’ve been told that Patty was a great guy.  People were sad when he was killed.  A few of my friends bought their first Mercedes from Patty.  Tommy was then shot by a kid in the neighborhood the same day but lived. That is the world of the Mafia in Brooklyn.  Always treacherous when you have friends.