IACC President on banning of 'Little Italy' founder: "...questions can be directed to our attorney."
GVO Investigates: Silvano Orsi and his parents say they were invited by an Italian American Community Center board member to their Columbus Day celebration. The very next day, Silvano was banned.
Updated: 4:42 PM EST, 7:56 PM on 4 November
I’d like to take this opportunity to update you on the progress of an investigation I’ve been conducting over the past week and a half into the ongoing feud between Silvano Orsi and a group of left-wing activists with MAGA branding.
At the end of this update, I will also be asking for the public's assistance in furthering the investigation.
Of the individuals we have researched, former President Donald Trump is nearly always their preferred presidential candidate. Their social media posts often align with Republican talking points. They also frequently post content critical of Vice President Harris and prominent Democrats.
Occasionally, this group takes real-world actions beyond social media. While they share a range of ideas across the political spectrum, their commitment to combating homophobia and racism appears to drive them to engage in more concrete actions.
These efforts have included write-in campaigns, outreach to corporate media, and mass electronic mailings.
In particular, this group of highly politicized extremists has targeted Gates resident Silvano Orsi, labeling him a 'racist' and 'homophobe' for nearly a decade.
Orsi is the former host of the ‘Little Italy Festival’ and is largely responsible for designating a neighborhood on the City of Rochester's west side as ‘Little Italy.’
A Facebook group called A Liar's Tale: Silvano's Story, formed by one of the 'trolls' in August, frequently posts about an alleged assault on Silvano Orsi by a seemingly closeted homosexual sheikh (or prince) from the UAE nearly 20 years ago.
The sheikh is alleged to have forcibly licked and fondled Orsi after he rejected a sexual advance from the man.
Although the most active members are generally critical of the LGBT movement, members of the group appear to find humor in the alleged homosexual assault.
“My favorite part of this story in every article I’ve read is how is the sheikh used a belt on him like he was an insolent little child who needed an ass whooping,” said John Mazza, administrator of ‘A Liar’s Tale’ Facebook page in a 5 Sept post, “…he protests [too] much and should stop hiding in the closet.”
In any case, this bestial (and politically incoherent) behavior seems to have the somewhat quiet consent of individuals close to the Italian American Community Center (or IACC).
Individuals like board president Rob Cappuccio remain generally silent supporters of the Facebook troll group, with their profiles listed as open members. Occasionally, these IACC board members positively engage with the page's content.
They are not the only men of reputation to do so.
Politics
The IACC has strong ties to local Republican circles, frequently serving as a venue for their events.
The club often hosts formal, suit-and-tie Republican fundraisers, with ticket prices typically exceeding $40 per meal; at one event last year for Tracy DiFlorio, a single admission cost $100.
Monroe County Legislator Virginia McIntyre, a Republican and IACC board member, is a regular haunt of these Republican fundraisers at the IACC.
For the past two years, they have also held an unconventional mega-church-style pep rally called '‘The Stand,’ where racially humiliated, elderly Whites listen to Southern Baptist-style Black preachers linking Christian spirituality to the victories of Trump and the Republicans.
Video Credit: Facebook
Meanwhile, Silvano Orsi—a vocal critic of the Republican-led Gates town leadership—was banned from the IACC in a board letter dated October 14 of this year.
The letter is labeled as hand-delivered on Columbus Day, a national holiday.
This is perhaps the least bizarre circumstance surrounding this letter.
Three witnesses place longtime board member of the IACC, Quintino Dicesare at Orsi's home on both 12 and 13 August. Not only that, the three witnesses also claim that Dicesare invited them to the 14 October, Columbus Day festivities at the IACC.
After having Mr. Orsi warn Mr. Dicesare that I would be calling, I called Dicesare.
Dicesare would inconsistently struggle to understand my English.
After Dicesare confirmed the banning, adding credibility to Orsi’s letter, I asked him how exactly the board came to vote on this as claimed in the letter.
Dicesare referred to the board as an entity outside of himself, saying that he does what "they tell [him]." Dicesare was also unable to confirm if there was a vote or even a quorum obtained to ban Orsi.
Simultaneously, Dicesare indicated that he knew more about the nature of this unaccounted-for board session then he was choosing to tell me.
After several minutes, Dicesare had to get off the phone and I confirmed that I would call the next day.
Dicesare agreed to this.
When I called the next day, a woman with a strong Italian accent answered. I identified myself as a GVO writer and asked for Quintino. She instructed me to hold, and the line disconnected after some 20 seconds of silence.
When I called back to inform the woman of the apparent disconnection, she responded "oh." The woman then explained that Quintino was indeterminably busy, and it was not possible to suggest a callback time before hurriedly saying "bye" and hanging up the phone.
In the days that followed, I reached out to various groups and individuals to answer one question: when did the board vote to ban Silvano Orsi?
Attempts included leaving a voicemail for the IACC and contacting Monroe County Legislator and self-identified board member Virginia McIntyre (R), both of which went unanswered. Finally, after tagging several board members in a Facebook post to prompt a direct message, the board president, Rob Cappuccio, responded:
“We have no comment,” Cappuccio said. “Any additional questions can be directed to our attorney.”
The attorney, David Hastings was unprepared to give comment to GVO.
Feel free to direct message us if you have more information on this board meeting. We are on X.com or Facebook, or on the GVO Facebook. We also accept emails at gvodotnews@proton.me
Thanks.