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Frank DeCicco | |
|---|---|
 DeCicco in 1984 | |
| Born | (1935-11-05)November 5, 1935 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 13, 1986(1986-04-13) (aged 50) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Murder bycar bomb |
| Resting place | Moravian Cemetery |
| Other names |
|
| Occupation | Mobster |
| Spouse | Rosemarie Suriani DeCicco |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | George DeCicco (brother) |
| Allegiance | Gambino crime family |
Frank DeCicco (November 5, 1935 – April 13, 1986), also known as "Frankie D" and "Frankie Cheech", was an Americanmobster and eventualunderboss for theGambino crime family inNew York City.
The son of Vincent "Boozy" DeCicco fromBenevento,Campania, an alcoholicsoldier with theGambino crime family, DeCicco grew up inBath Beach, Brooklyn, but lived as an adult onStaten Island.
Frank DeCicco's brother was Gambino soldierGeorge DeCicco and his sister was Betty DeCicco.[1] Frank's uncle was Gambino capo George DeCicco.[2][3] Frank had two children, Vincent and Grace. Vincent died of lung cancer in 2008. Frank's nephew was Gambino mobster Robert DeCicco.[4]
DeCicco was a tall, muscular man with a thick neck that showed exposed thick arteries when he was angry. He dyed his silver hair black, leaving silver streaks styled in apompadour coif. He also had a slightly mashed nose. A low-profile mobster, DeCicco drove a non-descript1985 Buick Electra.[5] Frank was a disorganized man who stuffed dozens of business cards in his suit jacket and kept a messy car. Formerunderboss and government witnessSalvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano described DeCicco as being calculating and observant. Gambino bossPaul Castellano once commented on DeCicco to Gravano; "Frankie? Frank's a gambler. He's a street dog, Sammy." A successful gambler who playedcraps games orroulette, DeCicco frequented manyillegal gambling establishments inBrooklyn andManhattan and owned his own social club inBensonhurst, Brooklyn.[citation needed]
In the late 1960s to early 1970s, DeCicco joined the Gambino family and soon became a "soldier". In 1973, DeCicco and futureLucchese crime family underbossAnthony "Gaspipe" Casso were robbing diamond dealers andhijacking trucks throughout New York State. DeCicco eventually became a protégé of boss Paul Castellano, also a Bath Beach native. He was also close to GambinocaporegimeJames "Jimmy Brown" Failla, whom he described as his "rabbi". DeCicco's crew was one of the most powerful in the Gambino family and included associatesJoseph "Joe the German" Watts,John Gotti's chauffeur and bodyguard, and Joseph "Old Man" Paruta.[citation needed]
DeCicco became heavily involved inlabor racketeering with theInternational Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Union Local 282. Through Castellano, he held ano-show IBT union official position with the Local 282. The members of Local 282 delivered concrete and building materials to construction sites in New York City andLong Island. Although paid overtime, DeCicco was rarely present at any construction sites. He installed many Gambino members into the Local and was responsible for delivering payoffs from union bosses to the Gambino administration. DeCicco often attended meetings at Castellano's opulentTodt Hill, Staten Island mansion.[citation needed]
In 1978, Castellano allegedly ordered the murder of Gambino associateNicholas "Little Nicky" Scibetta. Acocaine andalcohol user, Scibetta participated in several public fights and insulted the daughter of George DeCicco. Since Scibetta was Sammy Gravano's brother-in-law, Castellano asked Frank to first notify Gravano of the impending hit. When advised of Scibetta's fate, a furious Gravano said he would kill Castellano first. However, Gravano was eventually calmed by DeCicco and accepted Scibetta's death as the punishment earned by his behavior.[6]
In 1983, Castellano ordered DeCicco to arrange the murder of Gambino soldierRoy DeMeo. DeMeo headed a crew that had committed as many as 200 killings. By 1983, DeMeo was under heavy law enforcement investigation. Worried that DeMeo might become a government witness, Castellano ordered his killing. Given DeMeo's fearsome reputation, DeCicco found it difficult to find any family members who would take the job. Finally, DeCicco recruited Gambino associatesAnthony Senter andJoseph Testa, both members of DeMeo's crew, to murder their boss. The two mobsters murdered DeMeo on January 10, 1983.[citation needed]
In late 1985, DeCicco and John Gotti conspired to murder Castellano and his new underboss,Thomas "Tommy" Bilotti. Castellano had enraged many traditional family members with his fixation onwhite-collar crime and his perceived stinginess. When Castellano appointed his chauffeur Bilotti as underboss to replace the recently deceasedAniello "Neil" Dellacroce,[7] Gotti decided to move against Castellano. Although DeCicco had enjoyed close ties with Castellano, he joined Gotti, Gravano,Joseph "Joe Piney" Armone, andFrank "Frankie Loc" LoCascio in the murder conspiracy. DeCicco tipped Gotti off that he would be having a meeting with Castellano and several other Gambino mobsters atSparks Steak House on December 16. DeCicco and mobster James Failla appealed to Castellano to meet with the son of Dellacroce. Since Castellano had skipped Dellacroce'swake, this was a good way to make amends to the family. The dinner meeting was set for Sparks Steak House inMidtown Manhattan.[8]
Just before 5:30 p.m. on Monday, December 16, Castellano and Bilotti wereshot to death while exiting theirLincoln Town Car outside ofSparks Steak House.[9][10][11][12]
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. Prior to the two murders, Gravano told DeCicco that he, not Gotti, should 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.[13]
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."
On April 13, 1986, DeCicco was killed inDyker Heights, Brooklyn, when his 1985Buick Park Avenue wasbombed following a visit to Castellano loyalist James Failla. The bombing was carried out byVictor "Vic" Amuso and Anthony Casso of the Lucchese family, under orders ofVincent "Chin" Gigante and Lucchese bossAnthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo, to avenge Castellano and Bilotti by killing their successors; Gotti also planned to visit Failla that day, but canceled, and the bomb was detonated after a soldier who rode with DeCicco was mistaken for the boss.[14][15]
In November 1997, authorJerry Capeci reported that Casso, now a government witness, revealed that the plotters selected Genovese associate Herbert Pate to kill Gotti with animprovised explosive device (IED). Casso told investigators that the plotters decided to kill Gotti and DeCicco with a bomb in order to make the Gambinos think that "Zips", or Sicilianmafiosi, were involved. Although Sicilian gangsters are notorious for using bombs, they have long been forbidden in the American Mafia since they put innocent people at risk. Casso also told authorities that Pate was selected because he had no links to the Gambino family and thus would not be recognized while staking out DeCicco.[16][17]
Supervising agent for theDrug Enforcement Administration (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 Gambinomade men and associates to attend DeCicco's wake, held over two days at a funeral home near the bombing site. To replace DeCicco, Gotti ultimately appointed capo Joseph Armone as underboss.[18]
TheDiocese of Brooklyn denied DeCicco aMass before the burial, saying it should be delayed for the sake of the DeCicco family and to honor "the solemnity of the occasion".[19]
He has been portrayed several times in films. In the 1996 TV filmGotti, Frank DeCicco is portrayed byRobert Miranda. In the 1998 TV filmWitness to the Mob, Frank is portrayed byFrank Vincent. In the 2018 filmGotti, Frank DeCicco is portrayed byChris Mulkey.
| American Mafia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Gambino crime family Underboss 1985-1986 | Succeeded by |
