Well the problem is, once you're in, you're in. And he had a family with two young children and a very successful auto mechanic business in NY. He could have lost everything. His father actually opened the first EVER privatly owned auto mechanic business. Back in the 50's if you had a Ford you went to Ford to get your car fixed and his idea was to make a place where you can get any car fixed, as they are now.
He had, I think, 5 shops throughout NY so the business would have been putty in the hands of the Mob.