Staten Island man used gun to reclaim false teeth from business associate, cops say

Staten Island Advance

He paid for those false teeth, and he wanted them back.

Even if they were in somebody else's mouth.

So authorities say Staten Island resident Joseph Nativo, 47, pulled a revolver on his former business associate and took them.

Nativo, a contractor who lives on the 200 block of Shirley Avenue in Eltingville, is accused of slamming the revolver down on a desk at his business, Atec Contracting on 360 Targee St. in Stapleton on May 7, then demanding that 40-year-old Gennario Sibbio take the chompers out of his mouth and hand them over.

He also demanded Sibbio give up $1,200 in cash, two cell phones, a Bluetooth wireless device and his jacket.

Nativo tells it differently, though -- sure, he demanded the teeth back, since he paid for them in the first place, but he never pulled out a gun.

Police referred to Sibbio as Nativo's "former business partner," but Nativo characterizes him as an ex-worker who stole from the company.

"He's not my partner. He's my employee," Nativo said. "I fired him, let him go. I paid for his new teeth to be put in... I told him to leave the company. I asked for my teeth back."

Attempts to reach Sibbio were unsuccessful today.

Police arrested Nativo on Monday, charging him with a single count of first-degree robbery.

He was arraigned and released on $1,000 bail until his next court appearance July 1.

The other items, Nativo said, also belonged to him.

"He owes me over $27,000 from the company," Nativo said. "I took his phones. I took his car. Everything that I gave him, I took it."

Joseph Sorrentino, Nativo's lawyer, said the allegations against his client were Sibbio's way of retaliating for his firing.

"We believe, certainly, that the allegations of the complaint are at worst untrue, at best exaggerated."

Nativo said multiple witnesses can vouch that he never pulled out a gun.

"We yelled and we argued, don't get me wrong," Nativo said, "but in the end, those teeth belonged to me."

-- Reported by John Annese