Briefcases of Money

In 1982 I was as a custom jewelry designer with eight years experience. During that year I saw things I shouldn’t have seen. In looking back, I was naïve, but at least astute enough to know when to bow out after holding briefcases of money!

For those years, I was custom designing jewelry in gold with gemstones for a cast of characters at a store around Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia and The Watergate building in Washington.  Through the 70’s and early 80’s I met: diplomats who came in limos looking for gifts, high-end escorts with distinct tastes in what they wanted to wear, men who loved their wives, men who loved their wives and their mistresses (these are the men who would ask for two of each,) serious career women who felt empowered enough to make a statement with their own money for the first time and a bevy of beautiful women that started out as men. Lastly I created for lawyers and businessmen with disposable cash or cash that needing to be disposed of. The request was more, more diamonds, more of everything! It was a fast moving decade that seemed to move faster with people’s use of cocaine.

During this time, I found out my marriage was over and I was to be alone with a baby. I went into Philadelphia or Washington three days a week to design jewelry while leaving my daughter in the country. It killed me every mile I rode away from my girl. I had never really dated and had never been alone. For the first time, I experienced a panic attack and felt blindsided by life.

Two men came into the store with bodyguards to have something designed. One was the infamous Liberace who wore a floor length white mink coat. The other was named Billy Motto who dressed a little more casually. Billy was so handsome and so charming though; it’s not possible for me to describe him without sounding silly. Billy was always in need of jewelry to be made for somebody. He mostly left the designing up to me. One day, I presented him with a piece of very expensive completed jewelry. He said, “keep this one, it’s yours.” It was not something I understood and told him I couldn’t do that. Soon after, my boss started to mention when Billy was coming in. He would tell me, if you want to take the afternoon off to go to lunch with him, go ahead.  I never stepped out of the store with Billy. Something didn’t feel right.

Billy’s “friends” would always come with him. They would talk in a close, playful South Philly dialect banter. Being from the suburbs of NY, I didn’t even know what a hoagie was. Philly street-wise I wasn’t. I had no idea what to make of Billy’s seeming macho manliness combined with these close ties with his posse. I first thought, isn’t it nice to that a man has such close friends? As time went on I realized the men were some type of guards. It was about at this time, I saw my first briefcase of money. A briefcase was on my desk and I went to move it. I opened it to see who’s it was. It was filled with only one type of paper, stacks of big bills! I quickly closed the lid and never said a word, until now. As a single mom, I didn’t ask questions. I just wanted to keep my job. It wasn’t the only briefcase I saw.  I am on record saying, I honestly never saw anyone holding the briefcases though.

One day I received a phone call. A lawyer called and said. “ Billy wants you know your divorce is taken care of.” Billy had found out about my pending divorce. I had to say, “no thanks,” to the lawyer. I really didn’t want to know what he meant by “taken care of.”  At the same time period, I was asked to go to Atlantic City for parties in which Billy was attending. I never showed up. I had no idea what Billy did for a living other then he told me he ran a vegetable stand business. As I became more observant, I decided to quit the jewelry business. My world was moving too fast.

A couple of years later, I read an expose in a magazine about Billy. As I read the article, my hands shook. Billy’s business was a huge cocaine and “vegetable business.” It was considered one the largest in the US history. He was in prison. The article went on to discuss just how “charming” Billy was. He gave expensive gifts to everyone. Even his Priest loved him. The Priest said, though I know he has been convicted of doing things, he has been a good person to the community. He took care of his family, Parish and charities.

I did some research this week on him. One of his appeals went to the Supreme Court. He got acquitted and left prison earlier then his full sentence. Another case was fifteen years later for a sports gambling business. He served 72 days and got off even though he had broken parole. It seems, a lot of people liked Billy. I have nothing bad to say about Billy. He is out of jail. (If interested look up the book, The Doctor Dealer.)