Frank Carrone
Encyclopedia
Francesco Carrone, also known as "Buzzy" or "Buzz", was an Italian-American Gambino crime family
associate (1938 - 1975 Walpole, Massachusetts
). He was a close friend of Thomas Agro
and Peter Calabrese.
section of Manhattan, Carrone allegedly earned the nickname "Buzz" from his psychotic behavior and violent temper. Frank joined the Gambino family as an associate, working under capo Thomas Agro and later capo Carmine Fatico
in the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club
crew. He was involved in bank robbery
and hijacking
as a "stick up man". Cerrone also trafficked small shipments of cocaine
, marijuana and Quaaludes in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
.
Fellow crew member Joseph Ianuzzi described Carrone before his terrifying disfigurement as "a tall and handsome Italian" mobster. Before his disfigurement, Cerrone suffered from Narcissistic personality disorder
, Borderline Personality Disorder
and Antisocial Personality Disorder
. However, after his mauling, Cerrone's condition was made worse by a severe case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
and have an ocular prosthetic set into the eye socket. In 1972 or 1974 (depending on what source you read) "he stood out from the rag tag group of mobsters emulating class". His right eye was gouged or shot out leaving him with a slightly demented look on his face from the severed nerve endings and paralyzed facial muscles with an empty right eye socket and a demented expression on his face, giving the impression half of his face was smiling. It is unclear how or who was responsible for Carrone losing his eye, if it was involving La Cosa Nostra matters or if it was accidental. This ultimately made the once handsome and youthful Carrone, once known for his stunning good looks stand out in a crowd with his horrible ghastly disfigurement
. It is also unknown if the horrible accident cause Carrone with permanent brain from trauma caused by the injury making him psychopathic. As a result of the injury Frank suffered from depth perception
issues in the years following his accident.
(FBI) Special Agents Patrick Colgan and Thomas D'Onofrio were looking for Carrone about a string of bank robberies in New York. A number of bank tellers implicated Cerrone, describing him as "bizarre looking man with one eye and a gun". One day the two agents spotted Carrone exiting an apartment building in Little Italy. Cerrone saw the agents and drove off. The FBI chased him at speeds up to 90 miles per hour (40.2 m/s) As the agents approached children crossing at a cross walk, they attempted to slow down, but their brakes failed. Carrone sped away, but immediately plowed into a woman's car. When the agents got out of their car, a bystander told them that Cerrone was hiding under the steering wheel in his vehicle. Almost immediately, Cerrone popped out and starting firing at the agents. In the confusion, Carrone managed to escape.
, but no one turned him in.
in the Financial District, Boston, Massachusetts
. However, a silent alarm went off and Massachusetts
state police troopers were soon chasing him. The troopers chased Carrone into some nearby woods. One trooper tiptoeing through some heavy underbrush suddenly heard three loud clicks behind him. He turned with his gun drawn and saw Carrone standing there, his gun pointed at the trooper's head. Fortunately Carrone was out of ammunition. As the trooper leveled his own gun at Carrone, Carrone pleaded with the trooper, "Do it". However, the trooper arrested him.
in Walpole, Massachusetts
. Other inmates soon convinced Carrone that the Gambino family was going to murder him. Carrone spent his days quivering in fear, convinced that at any moment on of Carmine Fatico
's soldiers would poison his food, or waylay him in a dark corner. FBI agents periodically visited Cerrone, allegedly determined to make his life miserable. Cerrone suffered from insomnia
brought on Chronic fatigue syndrome
.
In 1975, Carrone died in prison of an undiagnosed supraventricular tachycardia
brought on by hypertension
, starvation
, and malnourishment.
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
associate (1938 - 1975 Walpole, Massachusetts
Walpole, Massachusetts
Walpole is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located about south of Boston and north of Providence, Rhode Island. The population was 24,070 at the 2010 census. Walpole was first settled in 1659 and was considered a part of Dedham until officially incorporated in 1724...
). He was a close friend of Thomas Agro
Thomas Agro
Thomas Agro , also known as "Tommy A", "T.A.", "Tipp", and "Thomas Ambrosiano", was a New York gangster with the Gambino crime family who ran lucrative bookmaking and gambling operations in Florida.-Background:...
and Peter Calabrese.
Biography
Born in the Little ItalyLittle Italy, Manhattan
Little Italy is a neighborhood in lower Manhattan, New York City, once known for its large population of Italians. Today the neighborhood of Little Italy consists of Italian stores and restaurants.-Historical area:...
section of Manhattan, Carrone allegedly earned the nickname "Buzz" from his psychotic behavior and violent temper. Frank joined the Gambino family as an associate, working under capo Thomas Agro and later capo Carmine Fatico
Carmine Fatico
Carmine "Charley Wagons" Fatico was a Caporegime in the New York Gambino crime family. Fatico is best known as an early mentor to Gambino boss John Gotti.-Biography:...
in the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club
Bergin Hunt and Fish Club
The Bergin Hunt and Fish Club is a former Gambino crime family mob hangout and headquarters that was located at 98-04 101st Avenue in Ozone Park .-Today:...
crew. He was involved in bank robbery
Bank robbery
Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of...
and hijacking
Carjacking
Carjacking is a form of hijacking, where the crime is of stealing a motor vehicle and so also armed assault when the vehicle is occupied. Historically, such as in the rash of semi-trailer truck hijackings during the 1960s, the general term hijacking was used for that type of vehicle abduction,...
as a "stick up man". Cerrone also trafficked small shipments of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, marijuana and Quaaludes in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
.
Fellow crew member Joseph Ianuzzi described Carrone before his terrifying disfigurement as "a tall and handsome Italian" mobster. Before his disfigurement, Cerrone suffered from Narcissistic personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder is a personality disorder in which the individual is described as being excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity...
, Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline personality disorder
Borderline personality disorder is a personality disorder described as a prolonged disturbance of personality function in a person , characterized by depth and variability of moods.The disorder typically involves unusual levels of instability in mood; black and white thinking, or splitting; the...
and Antisocial Personality Disorder
Antisocial personality disorder
Antisocial personality disorder is described by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition , as an Axis II personality disorder characterized by "...a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood...
. However, after his mauling, Cerrone's condition was made worse by a severe case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Receiving facial disfigurement
It is unknown why Frank did not consult an ocularistOcularist
An ocularist is someone who specializes in the fabrication and fitting of ocular prostheses for people who have lost an eye or eyes due to trauma or illness...
and have an ocular prosthetic set into the eye socket. In 1972 or 1974 (depending on what source you read) "he stood out from the rag tag group of mobsters emulating class". His right eye was gouged or shot out leaving him with a slightly demented look on his face from the severed nerve endings and paralyzed facial muscles with an empty right eye socket and a demented expression on his face, giving the impression half of his face was smiling. It is unclear how or who was responsible for Carrone losing his eye, if it was involving La Cosa Nostra matters or if it was accidental. This ultimately made the once handsome and youthful Carrone, once known for his stunning good looks stand out in a crowd with his horrible ghastly disfigurement
Disfigurement
Disfigurement is the state of having one's appearance deeply and persistently harmed medically, as from a disease, birth defect, or wound.Disfigurement, whether caused by a benign or malignant condition, often leads to severe psychosocial problems such as negative body image; depression;...
. It is also unknown if the horrible accident cause Carrone with permanent brain from trauma caused by the injury making him psychopathic. As a result of the injury Frank suffered from depth perception
Depth perception
Depth perception is the visual ability to perceive the world in three dimensions and the distance of an object. Depth sensation is the ability to move accurately, or to respond consistently, based on the distances of objects in an environment....
issues in the years following his accident.
"Being put on the shelf"
Cerron was exiled from his crew and the Gambino family for robbing banks without Fatico's permission. Cerrone now started robbin banks on his own. In May 1972 Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI) Special Agents Patrick Colgan and Thomas D'Onofrio were looking for Carrone about a string of bank robberies in New York. A number of bank tellers implicated Cerrone, describing him as "bizarre looking man with one eye and a gun". One day the two agents spotted Carrone exiting an apartment building in Little Italy. Cerrone saw the agents and drove off. The FBI chased him at speeds up to 90 miles per hour (40.2 m/s) As the agents approached children crossing at a cross walk, they attempted to slow down, but their brakes failed. Carrone sped away, but immediately plowed into a woman's car. When the agents got out of their car, a bystander told them that Cerrone was hiding under the steering wheel in his vehicle. Almost immediately, Cerrone popped out and starting firing at the agents. In the confusion, Carrone managed to escape.
Angering the Mob
After the FBI shootout, FBI supervisor John Good, approached Fatico and told him to give up Carrone. Fatico could not comply because Cerrone had fled to Boston. This caused a period of major FBI harassment brought on by Carrone shooting at the FBI agents. Furious at the trouble that Cerrone had caused the Gambino family, Fatico put on contract on Carrone. Fatico allegedly offered to induct anyone who murdered Cerrone into the Gambino family. However, Cerrone remained a fugitive .He was also featured as a fugitive on the television program America's Most WantedAmerica's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
, but no one turned him in.
Capture in Massachusetts
In 1974, low on money, Carrone robbed a bank in East Boston, MassachusettsEast Boston, Massachusetts
East Boston is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, with approximately 40,000 residents. The community was created by connecting several islands using landfill and was annexed by Boston in 1836. East Boston is separated from the rest of the city by Boston Harbor and bordered by Winthrop,...
in the Financial District, Boston, Massachusetts
Financial District, Boston, Massachusetts
The Financial District of Boston, Massachusetts, United States is located in the downtown area near Government Center and Chinatown.Like many areas within Boston, the Financial District has no official definition. It is roughly bounded by Atlantic Avenue, State Street, and Devonshire Street...
. However, a silent alarm went off and Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
state police troopers were soon chasing him. The troopers chased Carrone into some nearby woods. One trooper tiptoeing through some heavy underbrush suddenly heard three loud clicks behind him. He turned with his gun drawn and saw Carrone standing there, his gun pointed at the trooper's head. Fortunately Carrone was out of ammunition. As the trooper leveled his own gun at Carrone, Carrone pleaded with the trooper, "Do it". However, the trooper arrested him.
Time in prison
Cerrone was sent to prison at Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Cedar JunctionMassachusetts Correctional Institution - Cedar Junction
The Massachusetts Correctional Institution—Cedar Junction , formerly known as MCI-Walpole, is a maximum security prison with an average daily population of approximately 800 adult male inmates under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Department of Correction. It was opened in 1956 to replace...
in Walpole, Massachusetts
Walpole, Massachusetts
Walpole is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located about south of Boston and north of Providence, Rhode Island. The population was 24,070 at the 2010 census. Walpole was first settled in 1659 and was considered a part of Dedham until officially incorporated in 1724...
. Other inmates soon convinced Carrone that the Gambino family was going to murder him. Carrone spent his days quivering in fear, convinced that at any moment on of Carmine Fatico
Carmine Fatico
Carmine "Charley Wagons" Fatico was a Caporegime in the New York Gambino crime family. Fatico is best known as an early mentor to Gambino boss John Gotti.-Biography:...
's soldiers would poison his food, or waylay him in a dark corner. FBI agents periodically visited Cerrone, allegedly determined to make his life miserable. Cerrone suffered from insomnia
Insomnia
Insomnia is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe a disorder demonstrated by polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep, insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions:...
brought on Chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome is the most common name used to designate a significantly debilitating medical disorder or group of disorders generally defined by persistent fatigue accompanied by other specific symptoms for a minimum of six months, not due to ongoing exertion, not substantially...
.
In 1975, Carrone died in prison of an undiagnosed supraventricular tachycardia
Supraventricular tachycardia
Supraventricular tachycardia is a general term that refers to any rapid heart rhythm originating above the ventricular tissue. Supraventricular tachycardias can be contrasted to the potentially more dangerous ventricular tachycardias - rapid rhythms that originate within the ventricular...
brought on by hypertension
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
, starvation
Starvation
Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy, nutrient and vitamin intake. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, death...
, and malnourishment.