Frank DeCicco
Encyclopedia
Frank DeCicco also known as Frankie D and Frankie Cheech (November 5, 1935 Bath Beach, Brooklyn
- April 13, 1986 Dyker Heights, Brooklyn
) was a New York mobster and labor racketeer for the Gambino crime family
. He served as Gambino underboss from 1985 until his murder by car bombing in 1986.
, but lived as an adult in Staten Island, New York. His uncle is capo George DeCicco and his sister Betty DeCicco. Although married, DeCicco had extramarital relationships with many women, including the wives of fellow mobsters. Frank had two children, Vincent and Grace. Vincent died of lung cancer in 2008.
Frank was a tall, muscular man with a thick neck that showed exposed thick arteries when he was angry. DeCicco dyed his silver hair black, leaving silver streaks styled in a pompadour
quaff. He also had a slightly mashed nose. A low-profile mobster, DeCicco drove a non-descript Buick Electra
. Frank was a disorganized man who stuffed dozens of business cards in his suit jacket and kept a messy car. He was known as a reliable associate from an early age and a ruthless killer if need be. Former underboss and government witness Sammy Gravano
described DeCicco as being devious, calculating and observant. Gambino boss Paul Castellano
once commented on DeCicco to Gravano; "Frankie? Frank's a gambler. He's a street dog Sammy." A successful gambler who played craps
games or roulette
, DeCicco frequented many illegal gambling establishments in Brooklyn and Manhattan and owned his own social club in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
.
underboss Anthony Casso were robbing diamond dealers and hijacking trucks throughout New York State. When collecting loan shark and bookmaking debts, DeCicco was not afraid to use physical violence. DeCicco eventually became a protegee of boss Paul Castellano, also a Bath Beach native. DeCicco was also close to Gambino capo James Failla
, whom he described as his "rabbi
". DeCicco's crew was one of the most powerful in the Gambino family. It included associate Joseph Watts, John Gotti Sr.'s chauffeur and bodyguard, Joseph Paruta, and Vito Rizzuto Sr.
DeCicco became heavily involved in labor racketeering with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union Local 282. Through Castellano, he held a no-show International Brotherhood of Teamsters union official position with the Local 282. The members of Local 282 delivered concrete and building materials to construction sites in New York City and Long Island. Although paid overtime, DeCicco was rarely present at any construction sites. DeCicco installed many Gambino members into the Local and was responsible for delivering payoffs from union bosses to the Gambino administration. DeCicco often attend meetings at Castellano's Todt Hill, Staten Island mansion.
. Castellano was embarrassed by Scibetta's drug and alcohol use, and was tired of Scibetta causing incidents with other Gambino family member. of the brother-in-law
of his friend Sammy Gravano
. DeCicco assigned the murder contract to associates Liborio "Louie" Milito and Joseph "Stymie" D'Angelo Sr. Scibetta disappeared later in 1978 and the body was never found.
In 1983, Castellano ordered DeCicco to arrange the murder of Gambino capo Roy DeMeo
. DeMeo headed a crew that had committed as many as 200 contract killings. By 1983, DeMeo was under heavy law enforcement investigation. Worried that DiMeo might become a government witness, Castellano ordered his killing. Given DeMeo fearsome reputation, DeCicco found it difficult to find any family members who would take the job. Finally, DeCicco recruited Gambino soldiers Anthony Senter
and Joseph Testa, both members of DeMeo's crew, to murder their capo. The two mobsters murdered DeMeo on January 10, 1983.
. Castellano had enraged many traditional family members with his fixation on white collar crime and his perceived stinginess. When Castellano appointed his chauffeur Bilotti as underboss to replaced the deceased Aniello Dellacroce
, Gotti decided to move against Castellano. Even though DeCicco had enjoyed traditionally close ties with Castellano, he joined Gotti, Joseph Armone
, Gravano, and Frank Locascio
in the murder conspiracy.. DeCicco's part was to lure Castellano, his previous mentor, to a fake meeting in Manhattan. On December 16, 1985, Castellano and Bilotti were shot to death while exiting their Lincoln Town Car
outside of the Sparks Steakhouse in Midtown Manhattan
.
Soon after Castellano's death, Gotti declared himself the new family boss and designated DeCicco as his underboss. DeCicco took control of all of the "white collar
" rackets that once belonged to the Castellano faction. Soon after the two murders, Gravano told DeCicco that he, not Gotti, should have become the new boss with Gotti as underboss. DeCicco replied to Gravano,
Gravano would later say in his autobiography, "Louie (Milito) had got pinched for something and was away for a short time when we made our move (the murders) of Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti. Frankie was steaming. Louie could have betrayed us if he wasn't in jail. He was playing both sides. As soon as Louie got out of jail, Frankie said he had to be killed. A guy like that was too devious. "I argued for Louie's life. I asked Frankie, who was now our underboss, to let Louie come under me (Gravano's supervision). After all, we had spared people before. I would tell Louie what we discovered. I would put him on the shelf. I tried to convince Frankie that we didn't have to kill him. But Frankie was adamant. Louie had to die."
boss Vincent Gigante
and Lucchese boss Victor Amuso
and underboss Anthony Casso
. Only the Mafia Commission
, which was controlled by Gigante, had the authority to assassinate a boss. In retribution, Gigante asked Amuso and Casso to plan the murder of John Gotti Sr. In November 1997, Jerry Capeci
of the New York Daily News
reported that Casso, now a government witness, revealed that the plotters selected Genovese associate Herbert "Blue Eyes" Pate to kill Gotti with a car bomb. Casso told authorities,
On April 13, 1986, Pate drove up to the Veterans & Friends Social Club in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn
where Gotti and DeCicco were supposed to be attending a meeting. Pate walked toward DeCicco's car carrying two grocery bags. Near the car, he dropped one of the bags. As he was picking up groceries, Pate secretly attached a bomb to the car underside. In a short while, DeCicco exited the club and entered the car. Pate saw Lucchese soldier Frank "Frankie Hearts" Bellino standing next to DeCicco's car. Mistaking Bellino for Gotti, Pate detonated the bomb.
The bomb exploded, killing DeCicco instantly. Bellino lost several toes, but survived the attack. Gotti had not attended the meeting. Gravano later described the bombing scene;
(DEA), Edward Magnuson testified that a confidential informant had told him that Gotti was, "very angry relative to the murder of Frank DeCicco, and when he was out on bail, or when the trial was over, there was going to be a war, and John would take his revenge." Gotti instructed all the Gambino made men and associates to attend DeCicco's wake, held over two days at a funeral home near the bombing site. To replace DeCicco, Gotti appointed Gravano as underboss and Angelo Ruggiero as an acting co-underboss.
The Catholic Church denied DeCicco a Mass of Christian Burial. The Diocese said the decision was made for the sake of Mr. DeCicco's family and to honor "the solemnity of the occasion". DeCicco is interred at Moravian Cemetery in New Dorp, New York.
Bath Beach, Brooklyn
Bath Beach is a neighborhood in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn in the United States. It is located at the southwestern edge of the borough on Gravesend Bay.-Geography:...
- April 13, 1986 Dyker Heights, Brooklyn
Dyker Heights, Brooklyn
Dyker Heights is a residential neighborhood in the southwest corner of the Borough of Brooklyn in New York City, USA. It is sandwiched among Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, and Gravesend Bay. According to the Post Office, Dyker Heights is bounded to the west by Interstate 278, to the north by Bay Ridge...
) was a New York mobster and labor racketeer for the Gambino crime family
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...
. He served as Gambino underboss from 1985 until his murder by car bombing in 1986.
Background
DeCicco was the son of Vincent "Boozy" DeCicco from Benevento, Italy, an alcoholic soldier with the Gambino family. DeCicco grew up in Bath Beach, BrooklynBath Beach, Brooklyn
Bath Beach is a neighborhood in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn in the United States. It is located at the southwestern edge of the borough on Gravesend Bay.-Geography:...
, but lived as an adult in Staten Island, New York. His uncle is capo George DeCicco and his sister Betty DeCicco. Although married, DeCicco had extramarital relationships with many women, including the wives of fellow mobsters. Frank had two children, Vincent and Grace. Vincent died of lung cancer in 2008.
Frank was a tall, muscular man with a thick neck that showed exposed thick arteries when he was angry. DeCicco dyed his silver hair black, leaving silver streaks styled in a pompadour
Pompadour
Pompadour can refer to:* Arnac-Pompadour, a commune of the Corrèze département of France, former marquisate, famous for its Château and its National Stud...
quaff. He also had a slightly mashed nose. A low-profile mobster, DeCicco drove a non-descript Buick Electra
Buick Electra
The Buick Electra was a full-size premium automobile built by the Buick division of General Motors. The Electra name was used by Buick between 1959 and 1990.- 1959–1960 :...
. Frank was a disorganized man who stuffed dozens of business cards in his suit jacket and kept a messy car. He was known as a reliable associate from an early age and a ruthless killer if need be. Former underboss and government witness Sammy Gravano
Sammy Gravano
Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano is a former underboss of the Gambino crime family. He is known as the man who helped bring down John Gotti, the family's boss, by agreeing to become a Federal Bureau of Investigation informant and turn state's evidence.Originally a mobster for the Colombo crime...
described DeCicco as being devious, calculating and observant. Gambino boss Paul Castellano
Paul Castellano
Constantino Paul "Big Paul" Castellano , also known as "The Howard Hughes of the Mob" and "Big Paulie" , was an American Mafia boss in New York City. He succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family, at the time, the nation's largest Mafia family...
once commented on DeCicco to Gravano; "Frankie? Frank's a gambler. He's a street dog Sammy." A successful gambler who played craps
Craps
Craps is a dice game in which players place wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other or a bank...
games or roulette
Roulette
Roulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even....
, DeCicco frequented many illegal gambling establishments in Brooklyn and Manhattan and owned his own social club in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
Bensonhurst is a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn.-Geography:Sometimes erroneously thought to include all or parts of such neighborhoods as Bath Beach, Dyker Heights, and Borough Park, or to be defined by the streets where the concentration of...
.
Castellano protegee
In the late 1960s to early 1970s, DeCicco joined the Gambino family and soon became a "soldier". In 1973, DeCicco and future Lucchese crime familyLucchese crime family
The Lucchese 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 family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
underboss Anthony Casso were robbing diamond dealers and hijacking trucks throughout New York State. When collecting loan shark and bookmaking debts, DeCicco was not afraid to use physical violence. DeCicco eventually became a protegee of boss Paul Castellano, also a Bath Beach native. DeCicco was also close to Gambino capo James Failla
James Failla
James "Jimmy Brown" Failla was a senior caporegime with the Gambino crime family who was a major power in the garbage hauling industry in New York City...
, whom he described as his "rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
". DeCicco's crew was one of the most powerful in the Gambino family. It included associate Joseph Watts, John Gotti Sr.'s chauffeur and bodyguard, Joseph Paruta, and Vito Rizzuto Sr.
DeCicco became heavily involved in labor racketeering with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union Local 282. Through Castellano, he held a no-show International Brotherhood of Teamsters union official position with the Local 282. The members of Local 282 delivered concrete and building materials to construction sites in New York City and Long Island. Although paid overtime, DeCicco was rarely present at any construction sites. DeCicco installed many Gambino members into the Local and was responsible for delivering payoffs from union bosses to the Gambino administration. DeCicco often attend meetings at Castellano's Todt Hill, Staten Island mansion.
Scibetta and DeMeo murders
In 1978, Castellano ordered DeCicco to use Gravano's crew to murder Gambino soldier Nicholas ScibettaNicholas Scibetta
Nicholas Scibetta, also known as "Little Nicky" , was a Sicilian American mobster who was the nephew of Joseph Zicarelli and John Zicarelli and is the brother-in-law of Sammy Gravano and uncle of mafioso Gerard Gravano who was a Gambino crime family mob associate who was later marked as a stool...
. Castellano was embarrassed by Scibetta's drug and alcohol use, and was tired of Scibetta causing incidents with other Gambino family member. of the brother-in-law
Brother-in-law
A brother-in-law is the brother of one's spouse, the husband of one's sibling, or the husband of one's spouse's sibling.-See also:*Affinity *Sister-in-law*Brothers in Law , a 1955 British comedy novel...
of his friend Sammy Gravano
Sammy Gravano
Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano is a former underboss of the Gambino crime family. He is known as the man who helped bring down John Gotti, the family's boss, by agreeing to become a Federal Bureau of Investigation informant and turn state's evidence.Originally a mobster for the Colombo crime...
. DeCicco assigned the murder contract to associates Liborio "Louie" Milito and Joseph "Stymie" D'Angelo Sr. Scibetta disappeared later in 1978 and the body was never found.
In 1983, Castellano ordered DeCicco to arrange the murder of Gambino capo Roy DeMeo
Roy DeMeo
Roy Albert DeMeo was a soldier in the Gambino crime family. He is infamous for heading the DeMeo crew, a gang suspected by the FBI of murdering at least 70 people between 1973 and 1983. The vast majority were disposed of so thoroughly that they were never found...
. DeMeo headed a crew that had committed as many as 200 contract killings. By 1983, DeMeo was under heavy law enforcement investigation. Worried that DiMeo might become a government witness, Castellano ordered his killing. Given DeMeo fearsome reputation, DeCicco found it difficult to find any family members who would take the job. Finally, DeCicco recruited Gambino soldiers Anthony Senter
Anthony Senter
Anthony Senter and Joseph Testa, better known the Gemini twins are two mobsters in the Lucchese crime family. Senter and Testa are former members of the DeMeo crew in the Gambino crime family...
and Joseph Testa, both members of DeMeo's crew, to murder their capo. The two mobsters murdered DeMeo on January 10, 1983.
Castellano and Bilotti murders
In 1985, DeCicco and John Gotti Sr. conspired to murder Castellano and his new underboss, Thomas BilottiThomas Bilotti
Thomas Bilotti was a New York mobster and then Underboss for the reputed Boss of the Gambino crime family, Paul Castellano.-Early years:...
. Castellano had enraged many traditional family members with his fixation on white collar crime and his perceived stinginess. When Castellano appointed his chauffeur Bilotti as underboss to replaced the deceased Aniello Dellacroce
Aniello Dellacroce
Aniello John "Mr. Neil" Dellacroce , also known as "Father O'Neil" and "The Tall Guy", was an Italian-American gangster and underboss of the Gambino crime family. A capo of his own crew for many years he rose to the position of underboss when Carlo Gambino moved Joseph Biondo aside.-Early...
, Gotti decided to move against Castellano. Even though DeCicco had enjoyed traditionally close ties with Castellano, he joined Gotti, Joseph Armone
Joseph Armone
Joseph "Piney" Armone was a gangster in the Gambino crime family from 1986 to 1990.-Biography:Born on the Upper East Side, Manhattan, Armone earned his nickname "Piney" in the 1930s by extorting money from Christmas tree vendors. He was the younger brother of mobster Stephen Armone, a Gambino...
, Gravano, and Frank Locascio
Frank Locascio
Frank "Frankie Loc" LoCascio is a New York mobster who became the Consigliere to the Gambino crime family, under Boss John Gotti. LoCascio is the father of Salvatore LoCascio, a caporegime in the Gambino family....
in the murder conspiracy.. DeCicco's part was to lure Castellano, his previous mentor, to a fake meeting in Manhattan. On December 16, 1985, Castellano and Bilotti were shot to death while exiting their Lincoln Town Car
Lincoln Town Car
The Lincoln Town Car is a full-size luxury sedan that was sold by the upscale Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company; it was produced from 1981 to the 2011 model years...
outside of the Sparks Steakhouse in Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
.
Soon after Castellano's death, Gotti declared himself the new family boss and designated DeCicco as his underboss. DeCicco took control of all of the "white collar
White-collar crime
Within the field of criminology, white-collar crime has been defined by Edwin Sutherland as "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation" . Sutherland was a proponent of Symbolic Interactionism, and believed that criminal behavior was...
" rackets that once belonged to the Castellano faction. Soon after the two murders, Gravano told DeCicco that he, not Gotti, should have become the new boss with Gotti as underboss. DeCicco replied to Gravano,
"John's fucking ego is too big. I could be his underboss, but he couldn't be mine. Look, he's got balls, he's got brains, he's got charisma. If we can control him to stop the gambling and all of his flamboyant bullshit, he could be a good boss. Sammy, I'll tell you what. We'll give him a shot. Let him be the boss. If it don't work within a year, me and you, we'll kill him. I'll become the boss, and you'll be my underboss, and we'll run the family right."
Gravano would later say in his autobiography, "Louie (Milito) had got pinched for something and was away for a short time when we made our move (the murders) of Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti. Frankie was steaming. Louie could have betrayed us if he wasn't in jail. He was playing both sides. As soon as Louie got out of jail, Frankie said he had to be killed. A guy like that was too devious. "I argued for Louie's life. I asked Frankie, who was now our underboss, to let Louie come under me (Gravano's supervision). After all, we had spared people before. I would tell Louie what we discovered. I would put him on the shelf. I tried to convince Frankie that we didn't have to kill him. But Frankie was adamant. Louie had to die."
DeCicco murder
The Castellano assassination infuriated Genovese crime familyGenovese crime family
The Genovese 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 Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...
boss Vincent Gigante
Vincent Gigante
Vincent Gigante was a short lived professional light heavyweight boxer who was known as "The Chin" Gigante. He fought 25 matches and lost four, boxing 121 rounds. On February 19, 1945, he fought Pete Petrello in Madison Square Garden and won by a knock out in the second round. During his successful...
and Lucchese boss Victor Amuso
Victor Amuso
Vittorio "Little Vic" Amuso is a New York mobster and, as of 2011, the reputed Boss of the Lucchese crime family. Amuso is currently serving life at the Federal Correctional Complex in Beaumont, Texas on murder and racketeering charges....
and underboss Anthony Casso
Anthony Casso
Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso is a former New York City mobster who served as underboss and acting boss of the Lucchese crime family until he was arrested in 1993, becoming a cooperating witness for the Federal Government...
. Only the Mafia Commission
The Commission (mafia)
The Commission is the governing body of the American Mafia. Formed in 1931, the Commission replaced the "Boss of all Bosses" title, with a ruling committee, consisting of the New York Five Families bosses and the boss of the Chicago Outfit...
, which was controlled by Gigante, had the authority to assassinate a boss. In retribution, Gigante asked Amuso and Casso to plan the murder of John Gotti Sr. In November 1997, Jerry Capeci
Jerry Capeci
Gerald "Jerry" Capeci is an American journalist and author who specializes in coverage of the Five Mafia crime families of New York City. Capeci has been described by news organizations, such as CNN and BBC, as an expert on the American Mafia.-Gang Land:Capeci writes a column called Gang Land...
of the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
reported that Casso, now a government witness, revealed that the plotters selected Genovese associate Herbert "Blue Eyes" Pate to kill Gotti with a car bomb. Casso told authorities,
"The plotters reportedly used a bomb to divert suspicion toward Sicilian hoods, who often use explosives. Pate, who had no links to the Gambino family, was unlikely to be recognized by mobsters while staking out DeCicco."
On April 13, 1986, Pate drove up to the Veterans & Friends Social Club in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn
Dyker Heights, Brooklyn
Dyker Heights is a residential neighborhood in the southwest corner of the Borough of Brooklyn in New York City, USA. It is sandwiched among Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, and Gravesend Bay. According to the Post Office, Dyker Heights is bounded to the west by Interstate 278, to the north by Bay Ridge...
where Gotti and DeCicco were supposed to be attending a meeting. Pate walked toward DeCicco's car carrying two grocery bags. Near the car, he dropped one of the bags. As he was picking up groceries, Pate secretly attached a bomb to the car underside. In a short while, DeCicco exited the club and entered the car. Pate saw Lucchese soldier Frank "Frankie Hearts" Bellino standing next to DeCicco's car. Mistaking Bellino for Gotti, Pate detonated the bomb.
The bomb exploded, killing DeCicco instantly. Bellino lost several toes, but survived the attack. Gotti had not attended the meeting. Gravano later described the bombing scene;
I saw Frankie DeCicco laying on the ground beside the car. With the fire, it could blow up again. I tried to pull him away. I grabbed a leg, but he ain't coming with it. The leg is off. One of his arms is off. I got my hand under him and my hand went right through his body to his stomach. There's no ass. His ass, his balls, everything, is blown completely off. I was wearing a white shirt. I looked at my shirt, amazed. There wasn't a drop of blood on it. The force of the blast, the concussion, blew most of the fluids out of Frankie's body. He had no blood left in him, nothing, not an ounce."
After death
Supervising agent for the Drug Enforcement AdministrationDrug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
(DEA), Edward Magnuson testified that a confidential informant had told him that Gotti was, "very angry relative to the murder of Frank DeCicco, and when he was out on bail, or when the trial was over, there was going to be a war, and John would take his revenge." Gotti instructed all the Gambino made men and associates to attend DeCicco's wake, held over two days at a funeral home near the bombing site. To replace DeCicco, Gotti appointed Gravano as underboss and Angelo Ruggiero as an acting co-underboss.
The Catholic Church denied DeCicco a Mass of Christian Burial. The Diocese said the decision was made for the sake of Mr. DeCicco's family and to honor "the solemnity of the occasion". DeCicco is interred at Moravian Cemetery in New Dorp, New York.
Popular culture
- In the 1996 HBO television film Gotti, DeCicco is portrayed by Robert Miranda.
- In the 1998 television film Witness to the MobWitness to the MobWitness to the Mob is a made for TV film which premiered on May 10, 1998.-Plot:Film follows the rise of Sammy Gravano in ranks of NY Cosa Nostra, his turning to government witness in legal trials of John Gotti and his life in Witness protection program....
, DeCicco is portrayed by Frank VincentFrank VincentFrank Vincent is an American actor, musician, author and entrepreneur. He is a favorite performer of director Martin Scorsese, having played important roles in three of Scorsese's most acclaimed films: Raging Bull , Goodfellas and Casino . He often plays a gangster and works both in features and...
.
External links
- Frank DeCicco at Find-A-Grave
- http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/family_epics/gambino/5.html
- http://nymag.com/news/crimelaw/16108/