The Philadelphia Second Mile Connection in Relation to Joe
Paterno.
By Traci L.Hann
Greg’s story. Greg Bucceroni was
the typical American boy whose parents were separated. Being that his mom was
forced to work two job and his sister was in charge of he and his younger
brother, this left young Greg to do as he pleased. And he did, on the streets
of Philadelphia. During the years 1975-1978 Greg was simply running errands or
doing small odd jobs for the South Philly mafia under Angelo Bruno and Harry
Riccobene. The mobsters favored the half-Italian lad so they used him to their
advantage.
During this time
Greg also met businessman Ed Savitz.
At
first Savitz’s behavior mirrored that of Jerry Sandusky’s. Savitz would take
young Greg to movies, Penn State and Eagles football games, buy his junk food
at these events, which lead into more elaborate things. Like alcohol and drugs.
The touchy-feely side of Savitz soon emerged. At first it was just nude
swimming. That progressed into giving the young man massages and physically
molesting him. There were other sick and degrading things Savitz perpetuated on
the young Greg that involved every one of Greg’s bodily fluids imaginable but
not to Greg, upon himself. This man was truly sick.
The following
interview is in relation to Greg and the Second Mile foundation and Joe
Paterno. As you know, the Second Mile founder, Jerry Sandusky was found guilty
on 45 counts of child sexual abuse charges. Join me in exploring the
Philadelphia-State College connection that does indeed remove suspicion away
from beloved football coach and philanthropist Joseph Vincent Paterno.
T:Can you recall details of what was told to you on ‘how
to act’ when Joe Paterno was going to be at Second Mile activities?
Greg: There was a neat kind of arrangement, non-sanctioned
by Penn State University. Sandusky would get the South Philly Boys Club tickets
to the Penn State games, and Ed Savitz would get the Second Mile boys tickets
to the Eagles games. Sandusky would also request that some of us be brought up
to his charities events…
So if they thought
that Joe Paterno would be at these functions, they would read us the riot act
on the way up. We were to be on our best behavior. I didn’t know who Joe
Paterno was, I never met him officially, didn’t know who he was. I actually
thought Joe Paterno must look like Bruno Samartino, the wrestler because all
these guys who were powerful guys, were terribly scared of him and they didn’t
want him to know, so I didn’t know who Joe Paterno was until I seen a documentary
of him in the 1990’s. But I never officially met him, they told me he was at
events that we were at and not to embarrass and humiliate them, by acting
inappropriately. What they meant was by not being drunk or cursing or fighting
or saying things that were obnoxious. And they warned us a couple times. They
did not want Joe Paterno to find out anything-NOTHING. After awhile 1978-1979
they stopped bringing the busloads up from the South Philly boys club. There
were a handful of kids; they were still getting in trouble one way or another.
So they stopped doing that in 1978. The next time they went up, they would only
take certain kids.
T:How did these pedophiles manage to conceal the fact that
they were exchanging nude photos of you and others at these functions when Joe
was around? Or didn’t they act that way when he attended?
Greg: Well if he was around, if it was mentioned that he was
around, or thought that he was around, they wouldn’t do it. Period.
When Paterno wasn’t around they
would exchange them sometimes. Conversation would be like, “I want to meet this
kid, or that kid”. That’s how that was it was-very discreet.
But if Paterno were around, they
wouldn’t show pictures at all. Now what would happen if Paterno was at the
event, (if they had prior knowledge) after the event or before the event they
would meet somewhere else, like go to a coffee shop or somewhere a 7-11 or
something and we would meet there and then they would talk about it at the
parking lot or off to the side but if Paterno was there they would not do that
at all.
T:Was the atmosphere at the fundraisers/activities more
tense when Joe attended and did Sandusky and the others have a hard time acting
“normal”?
Greg:
Actually no. It was probably tense for them but they acted
almost like, they didn’t act perverted, or like sexual; they just went out
there socializing. It was almost like they could’ve been actors, because if
Paterno was I never officially met Paterno, I knew his name I know how the body
language was when he was around and how their behavior was when he was around
versus when he wasn’t. I don’t know if u remember Bruno Samartino or not,
that’s who I though Joe Paterno must have looked like because these guys were
all kind of scared of him. I though he must be a big animal! Because Savitz,
Rappaport and Ward, these guys thought they were above the law, and they were
bold and didn’t give a (expletive). Now all of a sudden, we’re up in St.College
they’re on their best p’s and q’s they’re acting almost like nothings going on.
But they’re not acting like anything sexual.
T:In the Victor Thorn interview you mentioned you felt safe
when Paterno was around because you knew that nothing bad was going to happen
while he was there. Describe how you felt the moment he left an
activity/fundraiser…
Greg:He never left an event, when he was there, he was there
for the entire thing. I can’t answer that question because if he showed up, I
didn’t know whom he was but they (meaning Savitz and the other leaders) were on
their best behaviors for the remainder of the event. Whether it was a sporting
event or a fundraiser for Second Mile. So my guess was Paterno was there the
whole entire time, because they were on their best behavior as well.
T:Did it come as a shock to you when the Board of Trustees
removed Joe from his position as head football coach?
It did come as a
great shock to me when Paterno was blamed as a pedophile enabler. 1977-1980
Savitz, Sandusky and others didn't want Paterno to find out what they were
doing to us kids. These pedophiles went to great lengths in concealing the
molestations from Joe Paterno.
Epilogue
Epilogue
What happened to Greg Bucceroni and Ed Savitz? In a
burst of anger Greg punched Savitz in his face in 1980 over money being thrown
at him, rather than handed. Savitz was paying him to “recruit” other boys and
when Greg and his friend jumped to the head of the line to receive their money
and get out of his place, Savitz became impatient with him and just through the
money in his face. Bucceroni and his friends along with Savitz rumbled out in
the streets much to the horror of the wealthy neighbors. Someone called the
police. Greg did tell the police of the abuse he suffered at the hands of his
abuser for the past four years. The police not buying his story cut him loose
and Savitz didn’t press charges, only took out a restraining order.
Greg continued to
work for the mob but in New York and Philadelphia after leaving Savitz’s grasp.
He was involved with both the Gambino’s and Lucchese crime families. His work
for the Gambino’s included some violence involving the illegal porn
establishments before leaving the organized crime world forever and joining the
U.S. Army.
Greg Bucceroni
resides in Philadelphia and is a school policeman for a charter school. He has volunteered
as a victims advocate for the City of Philadelphia since 1985. Also, Greg
volunteered as a Youth Aid Panel member for the district attorney’s office for
juvenile offenders for 12 years.
