The Mafia and Long Island Prostitution

The body of Edmond Nugent was found burned inside his car outside the Jericho Lounge in Jericho, Long Island in early February 1964. Days before his death Nugent, 49, had revealed information about a large call girl ring based in Long Island with connections to New York City. Nugent's death was ruled an accident. The dead man had lit a cigarette and fallen asleep accidentally. He hadn't slept for nearly twenty hours and had also consumed several drinks. Yet witnesses told police that they saw a lighted pot beneath the car just before it erupted into flames. No evidence of knockout drops was discovered in Nugent's autopsy, yet doubt about his cause of death remained. Soon detectives were connecting Nugent and Joseph Napolitano, his business partner in the lounge. Nugent had admitted that he had been a steerer of prostitutes to clients who paid them large amounts for their services.