Mob's Greatest Hits: Frankie Cheech Bomb Plot
Who knows how close New York's Mafia came to shooting it out. Probably a lot closer than the public has believed.
Frank DeCicco (November 5, 1935 - April 13, 1986) was John Gotti’s underboss when he was slain at the behest of Vincent“The Chin” Gigante, who seemed to have partially outsourced the job to Luchese bosses Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso and Vittorio Amuso. (A New Jersey based Genovese capo also was tasked with the job.)
The Chin was old school, and he didn’t like Gotti’s move on Big Paul one bit, as it violated protocol. (Plus, The Chin and Paul made piles and piles of cash together.) Gotti mentor Neil Dellacroce would've agreed with the Chin – he was the definition of "old school" itself, which is why Johnny Boy waited until the cancer in his mentor’s brain finally ended him before making his move to take out a boss.
This had not been done in the Gambino family since 1957 when Carlo Gambino put in motion the hit on his boss, Albert Anastasia, who in turn had taken the reins years earlier after “disappearing” his boss, Vincent Mangano, whose body to this day has never been found.
The difference between these hits was that Gambino had the needed support – Anastasia was hated – and feared – by most other families. And Gambino had a strong ally in Vito Genovese, who was chomping at the bit to whack his own boss, Frank Costello, who Genovese believed was sitting in his chair.
Vito set in motion what would ultimately be a failed hit when the hit man Genovese chose from the choir creased The Prime Minister’s head instead of shattering it.
That hit man was The Chin himself. The ironies here abound, but the Chin back then was a much younger and inexperienced man who many say should’ve been treated to a dirt nap for fucking up the hit. But Frank retired, taking the message (not before a slip of paper in his pocket revealed to law enforcement who was really controlling Las Vegas; Genovese should’ve been whacked for that – had no one taken a shot at Costello the New York families would’ve been able to hold the bucket under the running tap for who knows how many years more, but Chicago's wily Tony Accardo stepped up). But I am getting off point here.
DeCicco helped plan the very public assassination of Gambino boss Paul Castellano.
A low-profile mobster, DeCicco was known to be a disorganized man who stuffed dozens of business cards in his suit jacket and car, which he kept quite messy. It would prove to be his doom.
He was known as a reliable associate – though he did turn on the boss, don’t know how reliable he ultimately was – and was known to be a skilled murderer when required. Former underboss and government witness Sammy Gravano seemed to have his number when he described DeCicco as being devious, calculating and observant.
In the late 1960s to early 1970s, DeCicco joined the Gambino family. DeCicco eventually became a Castellano protégé and was also close to Gambino capo James Failla, firmly entrenching him in the white-collar wing, as it was known (compared with Dellacroce’s blue collar guys). DeCicco's crew was said to be one of the most powerful in the Gambino family. It included associate Joseph “The German” Watts who would join DeCicco in swapping sides to be on Gotti’s team when the time came.
In 1985, DeCicco and John Gotti Sr. conspired to murder Castellano and the new inexplicable underboss, Thomas Bilotti. DeCicco's part was to lure Castellano, his previous mentor, to a fake meeting. DeCicco and mobster James Failla both appealed to Castellano to meet with Neil’s son to make nice for Paul’s decision to skip Dellacroce’s funeral owing to the heat from law enforcement (though there are other versions about the reasons for the meeting at Sparks steakhouse). Gotti fumed over the Pope’s public display of disrespect for his own underboss, the well-respected Little Italy strongman, Dellacroce, and it fuelled his rage to kill Paul – that and his desire to remain alive owing to a drug trial then going on in which some of Gotti’s crew, including Angelo Ruggiero and John’s brother Gene, were facing serious time on drug charges. (John wouldn’t let them cop to a lesser charge, which would have shortened their prison time considerably; Gene is still in the can because of his conviction from this trial).
On December 16, 1985, Castellano and Bilotti were shot to death
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. (Gravano said in his book that he had told DeCicco that he, DeCicco, not Gotti, should become the new boss, with Gotti as underboss.)
As noted, the Castellano assassination enraged Genovese boss Vincent Gigante. Only the Mafia Commission, which Gigante then controlled, had the authority to assassinate a boss. More importantly, Castellano had been Gigante's ally, in business and other things. Not long after Paul was planted in the ground, Gigante asked Lucchese crime family boss Victor Amuso and underboss Anthony Casso to help him plan Gotti's murder.
On April 13, 1986, a hired explosives expert went to the Veterans & Friends Social Club in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, where Gotti and DeCicco were attending a meeting. The bomber secretly attached a bomb to DeCicco’s car’s underside. Later, DeCicco exited the club and went to his car along with Lucchese soldier Frank "Frankie Hearts" Bellino, who is said to bear a startling resemblance to John Gotti. Cheech was going to look through the mess for a business card for Bellino, whom the bomber mistook for Gotti -- and detonated the bomb, killing DeCicco instantly. Bellino lost several toes, but survived.
Gotti was not even at the social club at the time, Gravano later wrote.
A confidential informant informed a DEA agent that John 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 ultimately appointed capo Joseph Armone as underboss.”
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| Frank DeCicco surveillance photo. |
The Chin was old school, and he didn’t like Gotti’s move on Big Paul one bit, as it violated protocol. (Plus, The Chin and Paul made piles and piles of cash together.) Gotti mentor Neil Dellacroce would've agreed with the Chin – he was the definition of "old school" itself, which is why Johnny Boy waited until the cancer in his mentor’s brain finally ended him before making his move to take out a boss.
This had not been done in the Gambino family since 1957 when Carlo Gambino put in motion the hit on his boss, Albert Anastasia, who in turn had taken the reins years earlier after “disappearing” his boss, Vincent Mangano, whose body to this day has never been found.
The difference between these hits was that Gambino had the needed support – Anastasia was hated – and feared – by most other families. And Gambino had a strong ally in Vito Genovese, who was chomping at the bit to whack his own boss, Frank Costello, who Genovese believed was sitting in his chair.
Vito set in motion what would ultimately be a failed hit when the hit man Genovese chose from the choir creased The Prime Minister’s head instead of shattering it.
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.’
That hit man was The Chin himself. The ironies here abound, but the Chin back then was a much younger and inexperienced man who many say should’ve been treated to a dirt nap for fucking up the hit. But Frank retired, taking the message (not before a slip of paper in his pocket revealed to law enforcement who was really controlling Las Vegas; Genovese should’ve been whacked for that – had no one taken a shot at Costello the New York families would’ve been able to hold the bucket under the running tap for who knows how many years more, but Chicago's wily Tony Accardo stepped up). But I am getting off point here.
DeCicco helped plan the very public assassination of Gambino boss Paul Castellano.
A low-profile mobster, DeCicco was known to be a disorganized man who stuffed dozens of business cards in his suit jacket and car, which he kept quite messy. It would prove to be his doom.
He was known as a reliable associate – though he did turn on the boss, don’t know how reliable he ultimately was – and was known to be a skilled murderer when required. Former underboss and government witness Sammy Gravano seemed to have his number when he described DeCicco as being devious, calculating and observant.
In the late 1960s to early 1970s, DeCicco joined the Gambino family. DeCicco eventually became a Castellano protégé and was also close to Gambino capo James Failla, firmly entrenching him in the white-collar wing, as it was known (compared with Dellacroce’s blue collar guys). DeCicco's crew was said to be one of the most powerful in the Gambino family. It included associate Joseph “The German” Watts who would join DeCicco in swapping sides to be on Gotti’s team when the time came.
In 1985, DeCicco and John Gotti Sr. conspired to murder Castellano and the new inexplicable underboss, Thomas Bilotti. DeCicco's part was to lure Castellano, his previous mentor, to a fake meeting. DeCicco and mobster James Failla both appealed to Castellano to meet with Neil’s son to make nice for Paul’s decision to skip Dellacroce’s funeral owing to the heat from law enforcement (though there are other versions about the reasons for the meeting at Sparks steakhouse). Gotti fumed over the Pope’s public display of disrespect for his own underboss, the well-respected Little Italy strongman, Dellacroce, and it fuelled his rage to kill Paul – that and his desire to remain alive owing to a drug trial then going on in which some of Gotti’s crew, including Angelo Ruggiero and John’s brother Gene, were facing serious time on drug charges. (John wouldn’t let them cop to a lesser charge, which would have shortened their prison time considerably; Gene is still in the can because of his conviction from this trial).
On December 16, 1985, Castellano and Bilotti were shot to death
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. (Gravano said in his book that he had told DeCicco that he, DeCicco, not Gotti, should become the new boss, with Gotti as underboss.)
As noted, the Castellano assassination enraged Genovese boss Vincent Gigante. Only the Mafia Commission, which Gigante then controlled, had the authority to assassinate a boss. More importantly, Castellano had been Gigante's ally, in business and other things. Not long after Paul was planted in the ground, Gigante asked Lucchese crime family boss Victor Amuso and underboss Anthony Casso to help him plan Gotti's murder.
On April 13, 1986, a hired explosives expert went to the Veterans & Friends Social Club in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, where Gotti and DeCicco were attending a meeting. The bomber secretly attached a bomb to DeCicco’s car’s underside. Later, DeCicco exited the club and went to his car along with Lucchese soldier Frank "Frankie Hearts" Bellino, who is said to bear a startling resemblance to John Gotti. Cheech was going to look through the mess for a business card for Bellino, whom the bomber mistook for Gotti -- and detonated the bomb, killing DeCicco instantly. Bellino lost several toes, but survived.
Gotti was not even at the social club at the time, Gravano later wrote.
A confidential informant informed a DEA agent that John 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 ultimately appointed capo Joseph Armone as underboss.”