‘Sopranos' creator got some ideas from NJ tour, witnesses say

TRENTON — The creator of “The Sopranos” received a personal tour of North Jersey mob sites: a spot under the Goethals Bridge where a reputed mobster’s body was found and a meat market with a “big pink pig hanging on top,” similar to the one that turned up on the television series, witnesses said. Witnesses testified in the federal trial to support claims by a former municipal court judge, Robert Baer, who says he never received credit or compensation for help he gave David Chase, the creator of the hit HBO series that ended in June. The testimony, by an Elizabeth police detective and another man who Baer claims was the inspiration for ``The Sopranos’’ title character, centered on what Chase saw and heard during his three-day tour, 12 years ago. “I do know a lot of mobsters,” testified Tony Spirito, who said he’d just gotten out of a Union County jail the day before he lunched with Chase, Baer and detective Tommy Koczur at an Elizabeth restaurant. Baer, an aspiring screenwriter and former prosecutor, arranged the tour, seeking favors from friends and acquaintances to show the Hollywood writer locations with supposed mob connections and regale him with stories. He contends Chase owes him for his services in arranging these meetings. Baer is expected to take the witness stand on Monday to wrap up his case, then Chase’s lawyers will begin presenting theirs. Attorney Peter Skolnik said he didn’t know when Chase would testify. In court documents, Chase has called Baer “self delusional,” and his lawyers have said that Baer declined offers of compensation. Chase declined to comment except to say that he “believes in the court system.” Koczur and a Union County prosecutor testified they spent hours with Chase during his New Jersey tour in 1995. Koczur said he took Chase to the spot under the Goethals Bridge, pointed out a waste management business, an oil refinery business and places where he met with police informants who “didn’t want to be seen in public.” Although Koczur said he showed Chase a meat market that had “a big pink pig hanging on top,” HBO eventually transformed an empty storefront in Kearny into the famous Satriale’s pork store where the television mobsters hung out. Koczur testified that Chase promised him a security role in the production if it was ever picked up and said he was surprised to learn Chase was back in 1997 filming the pilot in Elizabeth. Spirito testified that after their meeting, Chase drove him home, and on the way Spirito said he pointed out Centanni’s, another meat market where Chase later shot the Sopranos pilot two years later. Spirito acknowledged gambling problems, which caused him to lose a pizzeria in Elizabeth, and said he tried to contact Chase after the show became a big hit. He testified that he wanted “to cash in,” but Chase never returned his calls. Baer sued Chase in 2002. U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano, who is hearing this case, dismissed Baer’s suit twice, but was overturned on appeal. Last month, Pisano ruled that Baer cannot mention certain information about crimes, characters or locations derived from meetings he arranged for Chase because they were based on information in the public domain. Pisano tried to keep the case moving forward, even jumping in to remind Baer and his attorney that they must keep on point. “This is not a screenplay,” he said. “We have evidence rules.”