A glimpse into the life of John Giuca, an innocent man in prison.

The famous mobster Lucky Luciano was in the prison I am in right now. Back in the early 1940’s he was sentenced to 30 years for various racketeering charges. He donated $1,000,000 to build the church here at Clinton. An old time Italian guy I’m locked up with told me the story about how he got out. At the time World War 2 was in full swing and New York City was a central launch pad for troops and supplies. The Anastasia brothers, who worked down at the docks, started a fire on a huge cruise-liner that was converted into a troop transport to bring soldiers to the European front. The ship took on so much water it capsized right in the Manhattan Bay, and the fire was blamed on German saboteurs. The Admiral of the U.S. Navy became very concerned because the New York City docks were a central part of the war effort, and he wanted to insure there safety. He went to the authorities to beef up security, but was told that the police don’t have as much influence over the waterfront as the Italians do. So, he inquired about who their boss was, and was told it was Lucky Luciano up in Clinton Correctional. The Admiral of the U.S. Navy then goes to Dannemora and has a sit down with Lucky and the Warden. The Admiral says “Lucky, how can I keep these “German saboteurs” away from my ships?” Lucky says he can help, but why should he after the government put him away for the rest of his life? The Admiral tells him that the President is a personal friend and he can assure him a Presidential Pardon after the war is over, if he guarantees the security of the docks for the duration of the war. Everyone keeps their end of the bargain and Lucky gets out after serving only 5 years of his sentence but, he’s deported to Sicily.

I asked the old timer what he thought the moral of the story was. He closed his eyes and raised a finger as if imparting some sacred wisdom. He said slowly and reverently “Loose lips sink ships”. I get the feeling that his take on this little anecdote wasn’t exactly spot-on. After all, this is the same guy who won’t go for a colonoscopy because he says the F.B.I. is trying to put a GPS in his ASS!

My take on it, is that it’s more evidence of something I already knew, love and loyalty move mountains. Loyalty is the fundamental ingredient for success.

-Written by John Charles Giuca 2016