Peter Schibetta
Encyclopedia
Peter Schibetta is a fictional character on the HBO series Oz
, portrayed by Eddie Malavarca.
He is the son of Nino Schibetta
, the first leader of Oz's Italians shown on the series. Once inside, he enlists the warden's brother Mark to murder
someone in repayment of a debt
owed to Schibetta. Schibetta then exploits his knowledge of Mark's crime as a way of blackmailing Warden Glynn himself. When Mark finally confesses to the murder, Glynn is freed from the Italians' control and goes after Schibetta with a vengeance. When Schibetta is rape
d, first by Simon Adebisi
and later by the Aryans Vernon Schillinger
and James Robson, Glynn makes no effort to punish his abusers, and even tacitly endorses the rapes as a way to keep Peter Schibetta and others like him under control. When Schibetta is eventually murdered, the warden shows little interest in finding and punishing his killers. Despite being raped and demoted from the Mafia
, he never became a rat.
, who was also his older cousin. Nino tells him that Dino's family has revenge coming to his killer and that Peter's Mother should be examined by a Jewish doctor, since Nino believes they are the best available.
tells him that his father was murdered by Simon Adebisi (Nino had actually been murdered jointly by Adebisi and O'Reily). Schibetta asks Miguel Alvarez
to murder Adebisi for a partnership in the drug trade.
Glynn quickly becomes irritated by Peter's constant blackmailing and veiled threats towards his brother. Glynn angrily tells Peter that while Nino might have asked for an occasional small favor for him and his friends in return for keeping Glynn's secret, he would not have been constantly trying to order Glynn around his own prison. Peter responds indifferently, and continues to blackmail Glynn. Glynn finally confronts his brother and regretfully tells him that he must turn himself in for the murder he committed.
After Glynn's brother confesses to his crime, an enraged Glynn transfers the Italians to work in the women's dress factory as revenge
for blackmailing him. Soon after, Schibetta is poisoned by Adebisi, who gives him a partially opened chocolate bar tainted with rat poison. Staff member Lenny Burrano
, an Italian gangster who works as an inside consultant for the Family, tells him that the family is embarrassed by his "leadership," and if he does not kill Adebisi, his position of leadership will be revoked. Schibetta and fellow wiseguy Chucky Pancamo
attempt to murder Adebisi in the kitchen, but Adebisi defends himself against the duo with various kitchen utensils and knocks Pancamo unconscious with a can of peaches, and then brutally sodomizes
Schibetta. Peter has a nervous breakdown
, hallucinating
that his father is still alive, and is sent to the psychiatric ward. His godfather, Antonio Nappa
, arrives in Oz and, with Burrano's help, gets Glynn to conduct a "random" drug test in order to deprive Adebisi of heroin. But Schibetta's days as a respected leader are already over, and his humiliation at the hands of Adebisi gives him a stigma he will never get rid of. He also knows he has disgraced his father's memory and the mafia as well. It will take years for him to return to Em City, and by that point, everyone in Oz, including the mafia, will have little use for him.
. He defends Schibetta when another inmate attacks him. Schibetta is in terrible shape and looks very pathetic. This convinces the staff to let Adebisi out of the psych unit while Schibetta remains inside, still trauma
tized. Shibetta is not seen during the rest of the season (nor in the following season). Adebisi is able to convince the Italians he is no threat, but secretly infects Nappa with AIDS, and then forms a partnership with Pancamo, who has Nappa killed in the meantime when Nappa goes against the Italian's code of silence by writing his memoirs. This new partnership with the man who raped their former leader shows that the Italians have forgotten about Schibetta.
) by raping him. Pancamo and the other Italians don't look too thrilled at the prospect of having Peter back, as he is a shameful memory from the past. But the mafia tries to welcome him back, hoping maybe somehow down the line he can change his image and prove his toughness again.
Things get complicated when the Aryan Brotherhood
learns that Pancamo ordered a hit on Hank Schillinger
, the son of their leader, Vern Schillinger. Pancamo is hospitalized and the Latinos, the Italian's usual drug-trafficking partners, go to work with Burr Redding
and the Homeboys instead. Seeking revenge, Schibetta goes to Kareem Said
asking to help him murder Schillinger. Said refuses, saying that Schibetta will "always be known as one of Adebisi's bitches," and the other Italian mobsters led by Zanghi
agree and decide not to retaliate unless Pancamo gives the order. Schibetta sees this as a way to prove his worth and goes after the Aryans alone. His attempt on Schillinger fails, however, and Schillinger, James Robson, and another Aryan gang-rape him over a pool table, abusing him with slurs on his ethnicity and manhood. During this scene Schillinger remarks "I always wondered: was Adebisi's dick bigger than mine?" Schillinger then walks over to get a glob of what appears to be grease - perhaps used to repair the pool table - and turns toward Schibetta and says, "You be the judge". Schibetta is taken into the psych ward again and is counseled by Sister Peter Marie
, while the Aryans now get a good laugh whenever they look at their pool table. After sinking a shot on the table, Schillinger says, "Oh, yeah. Pool table's working good now," which is greeted by laughter from his fellow Aryan brothers.
Schibetta is then threatened by Schillinger with the prospect of another rape or even death if he talks too much. Sister Pete goes to Glynn explaining that she wants justice for Schibetta, but Glynn says that the rape was justified in that it made him less of a discipline problem. Sister Pete insists on counseling Schibetta, but he ultimately suffers a mental breakdown.
, a priest who is trying to appeal O'Reily's brother Cyril
's death sentence
; the priest suffers a brain aneurism and dies in his sleep, inside the cell he and O'Reily were sharing. Schibetta tells O'Reily that Meehan is dead because of him and that there will be others. O'Reily responds by going to Pancamo and telling him that Schibetta plans to curse everyone he holds a grudge against, which O'Reily said included Pancamo (which he thinks would be revenge for failing to protect Peter from Adebisi and the Aryans). Pancamo, who believes in Sicilian
curses, calls Schibetta's wife and cancels her next visit. In the meantime, Schibetta steals O'Reily's mother's car keys to put the curse on her. Pancamo and Frank Urbano
stop him however, gouging out his eye to prevent him from passing the curse onto them. Glynn does not conduct a rigorous investigation of his old enemy's murder.
There is a little inaccuracy in the editing regarding Peter Schibetta in the sixth season of Oz. He dies in the second episode "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Smell No Evil", killed by the other Sicilians. However, he can be seen briefly in the cafeteria (in the background, waiting in the line to get lunch) in the next episode "Sonata da Oz", when inmates James Robson and Chucky Pancamo are shown arguing and fighting.
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
, portrayed by Eddie Malavarca.
Character overview
Prisoner #98S112. Convicted May 19, 1998 - Five counts of extortion: money laundering. Sentence: 35 years, eligible for parole in 20.He is the son of Nino Schibetta
Nino Schibetta
Antonino "Nino" Schibetta, played by Tony Musante, is a fictional character in the HBO series Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #95S604. Convicted December 12, 1995 - Two counts of conspiracy to commit murder...
, the first leader of Oz's Italians shown on the series. Once inside, he enlists the warden's brother Mark to murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
someone in repayment of a debt
Debt
A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party, the creditor; usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value.A debt is created when a...
owed to Schibetta. Schibetta then exploits his knowledge of Mark's crime as a way of blackmailing Warden Glynn himself. When Mark finally confesses to the murder, Glynn is freed from the Italians' control and goes after Schibetta with a vengeance. When Schibetta is rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d, first by Simon Adebisi
Simon Adebisi
Simon Adebisi is a fictional character played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje on the HBO dramatic series Oz, set in an experimental prison unit.-Character overview:Prisoner #93A234. Convicted May 2, 1993 - Murder in the first degree...
and later by the Aryans Vernon Schillinger
Vernon Schillinger
Vernon Schillinger is a fictional character, played by American actor J. K. Simmons, on the HBO series Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #92S110. Convicted October 21, 1992 – Aggravated assault in the first degree. Sentence: Eight years, eligible for parole in five...
and James Robson, Glynn makes no effort to punish his abusers, and even tacitly endorses the rapes as a way to keep Peter Schibetta and others like him under control. When Schibetta is eventually murdered, the warden shows little interest in finding and punishing his killers. Despite being raped and demoted from the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
, he never became a rat.
Season 1
Peter Schibetta visits his father and tells him about his dying mother and the situation with deceased inmate Dino OrtolaniDino Ortolani
Dino Ortolani, played by Jon Seda, is a fictional character who appeared in three episodes of the HBO series Oz. Although he dies in the first episode of the series, which is more or less centered on his character, his death has a strong impact on the rest of season 1.-Character overview:Prisoner...
, who was also his older cousin. Nino tells him that Dino's family has revenge coming to his killer and that Peter's Mother should be examined by a Jewish doctor, since Nino believes they are the best available.
Season 2
Peter Schibetta is imprisoned for money laundering and runs the Italian Mafia when his father Nino turns up dead. Once in prison, he tries to dominate every situation he is in as if he were still running the Family; he shows no fear or respect to any other inmate, especially African-Americans. His self-declared war with the black inmates grows especially intense when Ryan O'ReilyRyan O'Reily
Ryan O'Reily is a main character in the television series Oz. He was portrayed by Dean Winters from 1997 to 2003.-Character overview:Prisoner #97P904. Convicted July 12, 1997 - Two counts of vehicular manslaughter, five counts of reckless endangerment, possession of a controlled substance,...
tells him that his father was murdered by Simon Adebisi (Nino had actually been murdered jointly by Adebisi and O'Reily). Schibetta asks Miguel Alvarez
Miguel Alvarez
Miguel Alvarez is a fictional character played by American actor Kirk Acevedo on the television show Oz. He is the main Latino inmate in the series. He is a gang member of El Norte and of Cuban descent.-Character overview:...
to murder Adebisi for a partnership in the drug trade.
Glynn quickly becomes irritated by Peter's constant blackmailing and veiled threats towards his brother. Glynn angrily tells Peter that while Nino might have asked for an occasional small favor for him and his friends in return for keeping Glynn's secret, he would not have been constantly trying to order Glynn around his own prison. Peter responds indifferently, and continues to blackmail Glynn. Glynn finally confronts his brother and regretfully tells him that he must turn himself in for the murder he committed.
After Glynn's brother confesses to his crime, an enraged Glynn transfers the Italians to work in the women's dress factory as revenge
Revenge
Revenge is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called payback, retribution, retaliation or vengeance; it may be characterized, justly or unjustly, as a form of justice.-Function in society:Some societies believe that the...
for blackmailing him. Soon after, Schibetta is poisoned by Adebisi, who gives him a partially opened chocolate bar tainted with rat poison. Staff member Lenny Burrano
Lenny Burrano
Lenny Burrano is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz, played by Skipp Sudduth.-Character overview:Burrano is an Italian-American lead investigator who previously served as a correctional officer.-Season 1:...
, an Italian gangster who works as an inside consultant for the Family, tells him that the family is embarrassed by his "leadership," and if he does not kill Adebisi, his position of leadership will be revoked. Schibetta and fellow wiseguy Chucky Pancamo
Chucky Pancamo
Charles "Chucky The Enforcer" Pancamo is a fictional character, played by Chuck Zito, on the HBO series Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #97P468. Convicted June 4, 1997 - Second degree murder. Sentence: 35 years, eligible for parole in 15....
attempt to murder Adebisi in the kitchen, but Adebisi defends himself against the duo with various kitchen utensils and knocks Pancamo unconscious with a can of peaches, and then brutally sodomizes
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
Schibetta. Peter has a nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
, hallucinating
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
that his father is still alive, and is sent to the psychiatric ward. His godfather, Antonio Nappa
Antonio Nappa
Antonio Nappa is a fictional character played by Mark Margolis on the HBO dramatic series Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #98N744. Convicted June 4, 1998 - Murder in the second degree. Sentence: 80 years, eligible for parole in 50...
, arrives in Oz and, with Burrano's help, gets Glynn to conduct a "random" drug test in order to deprive Adebisi of heroin. But Schibetta's days as a respected leader are already over, and his humiliation at the hands of Adebisi gives him a stigma he will never get rid of. He also knows he has disgraced his father's memory and the mafia as well. It will take years for him to return to Em City, and by that point, everyone in Oz, including the mafia, will have little use for him.
Season 3
Schibetta is in the psych ward. Adebisi is also there for a little while as he goes into severe heroin withdrawalWithdrawal
Withdrawal can refer to any sort of separation, but is most commonly used to describe the group of symptoms that occurs upon the abrupt discontinuation/separation or a decrease in dosage of the intake of medications, recreational drugs, and alcohol...
. He defends Schibetta when another inmate attacks him. Schibetta is in terrible shape and looks very pathetic. This convinces the staff to let Adebisi out of the psych unit while Schibetta remains inside, still trauma
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
tized. Shibetta is not seen during the rest of the season (nor in the following season). Adebisi is able to convince the Italians he is no threat, but secretly infects Nappa with AIDS, and then forms a partnership with Pancamo, who has Nappa killed in the meantime when Nappa goes against the Italian's code of silence by writing his memoirs. This new partnership with the man who raped their former leader shows that the Italians have forgotten about Schibetta.
Season 5
Peter Schibetta is released from the psych ward after four years. He is now Pancamo's second in command but wants to run things like before. Several inmates, however, do not show him the respect he had when he first arrived in Oz; in their eyes, the now dead Adebisi made him his "prag" (sex slaveSexual slavery
Sexual slavery is when unwilling people are coerced into slavery for sexual exploitation. The incidence of sexual slavery by country has been studied and tabulated by UNESCO, with the cooperation of various international agencies...
) by raping him. Pancamo and the other Italians don't look too thrilled at the prospect of having Peter back, as he is a shameful memory from the past. But the mafia tries to welcome him back, hoping maybe somehow down the line he can change his image and prove his toughness again.
Things get complicated when the Aryan Brotherhood
The Aryan Brotherhood in Oz
The Aryan Brotherhood in the TV series Oz is a gang of white supremacist inmates led by Vernon Schillinger.-Overview:The Aryans of Oz are a loosely organized gang of white supremacist inmates. As a minority, the Caucasian-American prisoners of the gang mostly come from criminal backgrounds already...
learns that Pancamo ordered a hit on Hank Schillinger
Hank Schillinger
Henry "Hank" Schillinger, played by Andrew Barchilon, is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz.-Character overview:His father Vern Schillinger is an inmate who runs the Aryan Brotherhood within Oz. An amoral drug addict, Hank, like his younger brother Andrew, has been raised on white...
, the son of their leader, Vern Schillinger. Pancamo is hospitalized and the Latinos, the Italian's usual drug-trafficking partners, go to work with Burr Redding
Burr Redding
Burr Redding is one of Oz's oldest inmates.-Character overview:Prisoner #01R289. Convicted January 11, 2001 - Murder in the first degree, seven counts of attempted murder...
and the Homeboys instead. Seeking revenge, Schibetta goes to Kareem Said
Kareem Said
Kareem Saïd is a character played by British actor Eamonn Walker on the American television show Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #97S444. Convicted June 6, 1997 - Arson in the second degree. Sentence: 18 years, eligible for parole in five...
asking to help him murder Schillinger. Said refuses, saying that Schibetta will "always be known as one of Adebisi's bitches," and the other Italian mobsters led by Zanghi
Don Zanghi
Don Zanghi played by John Palumbo is an Italian inmate on the HBO drama Oz. Zanghi is one of the Italians who has been on the show since the first season. He is one of the inmates seen earning their GED while in Oz. For the rest of the series, he is seen as Chucky Pancamo's podmate acting as one of...
agree and decide not to retaliate unless Pancamo gives the order. Schibetta sees this as a way to prove his worth and goes after the Aryans alone. His attempt on Schillinger fails, however, and Schillinger, James Robson, and another Aryan gang-rape him over a pool table, abusing him with slurs on his ethnicity and manhood. During this scene Schillinger remarks "I always wondered: was Adebisi's dick bigger than mine?" Schillinger then walks over to get a glob of what appears to be grease - perhaps used to repair the pool table - and turns toward Schibetta and says, "You be the judge". Schibetta is taken into the psych ward again and is counseled by Sister Peter Marie
Sister Peter Marie
Sister Peter Marie Reimondo aka Sister Pete is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz played by Rita Moreno.right|thumb|Rita Moreno as Sister Peter Marie.-Creation:...
, while the Aryans now get a good laugh whenever they look at their pool table. After sinking a shot on the table, Schillinger says, "Oh, yeah. Pool table's working good now," which is greeted by laughter from his fellow Aryan brothers.
Schibetta is then threatened by Schillinger with the prospect of another rape or even death if he talks too much. Sister Pete goes to Glynn explaining that she wants justice for Schibetta, but Glynn says that the rape was justified in that it made him less of a discipline problem. Sister Pete insists on counseling Schibetta, but he ultimately suffers a mental breakdown.
Season 6
Peter Schibetta is released from the psych ward again and is told from a reliable source that Ryan O'Reily helped Simon Adebisi kill his father, Nino. He is intent to start getting revenge on all of those who did him harm, starting with the last man responsible for Nino's death. With revenge on his mind, he arranges for people O'Reily loves to get the "evil eye," essentially a death curse which his wife's grandmother may cast after obtaining a person's personal possession. First dead is Father Daniel MeehanDaniel Meehan
Father Daniel Meehan is a fictional character on the HBO prison drama, Oz, played by Malachy McCourt.Meehan was an ordained Catholic priest convicted for a violent disruption of a protest against Amicus Chemicals Corporation that he took part in. During the protest he assaulted a police officer...
, a priest who is trying to appeal O'Reily's brother Cyril
Cyril O'Reily
Cyril O'Reily is a fictional character, played by American actor Scott William Winters, on the HBO drama Oz. He is also mentioned in the companion book , p. 58.-Character overview:...
's death sentence
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
; the priest suffers a brain aneurism and dies in his sleep, inside the cell he and O'Reily were sharing. Schibetta tells O'Reily that Meehan is dead because of him and that there will be others. O'Reily responds by going to Pancamo and telling him that Schibetta plans to curse everyone he holds a grudge against, which O'Reily said included Pancamo (which he thinks would be revenge for failing to protect Peter from Adebisi and the Aryans). Pancamo, who believes in Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
curses, calls Schibetta's wife and cancels her next visit. In the meantime, Schibetta steals O'Reily's mother's car keys to put the curse on her. Pancamo and Frank Urbano
Frank Urbano
Francis Urbano aka "Frank the Fixer", played by Antoni Corone, is an Italian inmate on the HBO drama Oz.-Character overview:Prisoner #02U672. Convicted January 7, 2002 - Murder in the first degree. Sentence: Life imprisonment, eligible for parole in 25 years.A famed hitman, he was given a life...
stop him however, gouging out his eye to prevent him from passing the curse onto them. Glynn does not conduct a rigorous investigation of his old enemy's murder.
There is a little inaccuracy in the editing regarding Peter Schibetta in the sixth season of Oz. He dies in the second episode "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Smell No Evil", killed by the other Sicilians. However, he can be seen briefly in the cafeteria (in the background, waiting in the line to get lunch) in the next episode "Sonata da Oz", when inmates James Robson and Chucky Pancamo are shown arguing and fighting.
Analysis
Paul Mason writes, "In Oz Peter Schibetta goes from respected wise guy to 'Adebisi's Bitch' in the space of one night and is never able to remove the stigma of having been RAPED."External links
- Official biography at Oz website (dead link)