Amy Fisher Trial: 1992

With Fisher in prison and the television dramas over, the story soon started anew for Joey Buttafuoco. Police questioned a former employee of his body shop who claimed to have heard Buttafuoco boast of having sex with Fisher. On April 15, 1993, nearly a year after his wife was shot, Buttafuoco was indicted on six counts of statutory rape, twelve counts of sodomy, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. Buttafuoco pled not guilty and left court in a white Cadillac accompanied by his still supportive wife.

That summer, Mary Jo Buttafuoco accepted an undisclosed settlement in her $125-million damage suit against Fisher and Peter Guagenti, who was spending six months in prison for selling Fisher the handgun and driving her to the Buttafuoco house. The New York State Supreme Court, however, denied Buttafuoco's claim to any of the money with which Fisher made bail, ruling that the deal with Hollywood was within Fisher's rights as a presumed innocent defendant who was permitted to raise bail by any lawful means.

The Buttafuocos's frequent press conferences and interviews on television programs like The Phil Donahue Show were viewed by millions, although the couple's version of events wore thin with much of the American public. Joey Buttafuoco's constant claims that he had never slept with Amy Fisher and Mary Jo's feisty denials of her husband's alleged affair provided easy laughs for comedians across the nation. Prosecutors were less jocular about the case. They ordered Buttafuoco to submit to a blood test and physical examination to weigh Fisher's charge that he had given her herpes and her claim to be able to identify hidden birthmarks on his body.

Joey Buttafuoco's wife stayed home with their children when he went to court on October 5, 1993. Flanked by his lawyer, Buttafuoco pled guilty to one count of statutory rape, the most serious charge in a 19 count indictment against him.

"I cannot accept your plea unless you are, in fact, guilty," Judge Jack Mackston told the tense defendant. There was a long pause. "On July 2, 1991, I had sexual relations with Amy Fisher at the Freeport Motel," Buttafuoco finally said.

"Do you mean sexual intercourse?" interjected the prosecutor.

"Yes, sir."

Amy Fisher in 1996, before her release from prison. (AP/Wide World Photos)

The defense attorney had an explanation for skeptics, to whom the crumbling of Buttafuoco's claim of innocence was no surprise. "There is a family involved here," Attorney Dominic Barbera said of his client. "That's the man he is. He did what he had to do in that courtroom so everybody else's life could go on."

Those wondering if Buttafuoco had committed a noble perjury to save his family more pain looked to the District Attorney's office, who assured Judge Mackston that factual evidence included motel receipts and witnesses to Buttafuoco's boasts about his sexual relationship with Fisher.

Joey Buttafuoco was sentenced to six months in prison and five years probation. He was also fined $5,000. He left prison after serving only 129 days of the sentence, flashing a thumbs-up sign at photographers. His wife threw a welcome-home party for him and several hundred guests attended. Bemoaning the sensationalism surrounding the case, The New York Times printed the party menu and photographed the Buttafuocos celebrating together.

Amy Fisher served her sentence amid tabloid rumors of a romance with a prison guard and later a lesbian affair with a fellow inmate. Meanwhile New York Governor George Pataki eliminated work release for any inmate convicted of a violent felony, thus scuttling Fisher's chance for an early parole.

Joey Buttafuoco considered embarking on a career as an actor, a line of work for which his detractors considered him well-qualified. But Joey's troubles were not over: On May 24, 1995, in Los Angeles, California, he was arrested for—and later pleaded no contest to—soliciting sex from an undercover vice officer. In addition to ordering Buttafuoco to pay $1,715 in fines and take an HIV test, the judge placed Buttafuoco on two years' probation.

Back in Nassau County, Judge Mackston found Buttafuoco guilty of violating his parole and sentenced him to 10 months in prison.

After his release, Joey Buttafuoco spent several years in Hollywood trying his hand at acting. He landed small roles in forgettable movies and for a short time, hosted his own public access cable television talk show.

In May 1999, Amy Fisher was released from prison after serving seven years of her sentence. Her early release from jail was due, in large part, to Mary Jo Buttafuoco's public statements forgiving Fisher. At the time of her release, Fisher's attorney said that she had a job waiting for her in the fashion industry.