His Way_ The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra - Kitty Kelley [285]
Although known to “everybody in Staten Island,” this connection of Frank Sinatra’s was not known to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
Frank tried to dismiss the Mafia photograph as one of millions taken backstage, by producing pictures of himself with a congressman, with the prime minister of Israel, with Gregory Peck, with the president of Egypt, with members of the San Francisco police department. “This represents a one thousandth maybe, a minimum amount of photographs that I have taken with people who come backstage,” he said. The Nevada gaming chairman said he felt it was a sad commentary on our times that the decent people in Frank’s photographs weren’t as newsworthy as the disreputable ones, the “who’s who of what’s what … in organized crime.”
Q: Again coming back to Mr. Fratianno, Mr. Sinatra, he alleges that in 1976 an associate of yours, Mr. Rizzo, contacted him about “breaking the legs of a former bodyguard” who was giving you problems. The man’s name was Andrew Celentano, and I would just ask you for the record. Did you know Mr. Andrew Celentano?
A: For the record, I did not know this man of whom you speak, and also for the record, I wish that we didn’t have to discuss Mr. Fratianno, because he is a confessed murderer, a perjurer, and I would rather not discuss him involved with my life. That is a fair enough request.
Q: Yes. Unfortunately, I can appreciate what you are saying. It is in the public record.… We are not suggesting that unsubstantiated allegations of Mr. Fratianno will go unchallenged here. But we do think it is necessary to put it on the record.
A: Well, it is now on the record. I never asked anybody to do anything like that, that kind of thing.
One of the board’s agents stepped forward to say that he had developed information that Celentano had worked as a security officer at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Florida from 1968 to 1970 and while there was hired by Sinatra to be his personal security guard. He also worked on two movies with Frank in Florida, Tony Rome and The Lady in Cement. During those three years, Celentano accompanied Frank on an entertainment tour. His widow, Evelyn Celentano, said that her husband considered himself a friend of Frank and had sent him sixty long-stemmed roses on his sixtieth birthday in 1975, but that he had contributed to a series of articles on Sinatra in the National Enquirer that had been uncomplimentary. Despite all this, Frank maintained that he did not know Andy Celentano.
The chairman of the Nevada Gaming Board then turned to what he called Frank’s “isolated incidents” of violence, his fights with Carl Cohen in 1967, Sanford Waterman in 1970, and Frank Weinstock in 1973. The chairman said nothing of Sinatra’s 1966 fight with Frederick Weisman in the Polo Lounge of the Beverly Hills Hotel, which put Weisman in the hospital in critical condition. Frank dodged blame for any of the fights, so the chairman moved smoothly on to the subject of Australia, which Frank clearly evaded.
Q: Mr. Sinatra, would you explain to us what happened in Australia in 1974?
A: I don’t remember.
Q: Were you in Australia in 1974?
A: I was there, but I don’t remember what happened.
Q: You don’t remember what happened?
A: No, I don’t remember.
Q: At all?
A: Not at all.
Q: Or is it you just don’t want to put it on the record?
A: No, it is just not a matter of putting anything on the record. I don’t remember what happened. Some big uproar came out of Australia, and we became the scapegoat again … Mr. Rudin might be able to tell you some more about it.…
At Frank’s bidding, Rudin jumped in to condemn the Australian press, whom Frank had called hookers and pimps, causing unions to go on strike in protest. Rudin said he was told that the strike would be called off once Sinatra apologized, but Rudin had refused to be conciliatory. “There will be no apologies. If you want to find a method of solving this situation, some kind of a joint meeting and statement, we