Frank DeSimone
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Frank DeSimone (1909-August 4, 1967) was the boss, or don, of the Los Angeles mafia from 1957 to 1967. Frank was the son of former don Rosario DeSimone and underboss to Jack Dragna. He was the inspiration for the character of lawyer-turned-mobster Tom Hagen, portrayed by Robert Duvall in The Godfather.
DeSimone became a lawyer in May 1933. In 1957, he replaced Jack Dragna after Dragna's apparent suicide in a hotel in 1956, becoming the third boss of the Los Angeles outfit of La Cosa Nostra.
Jack Dragna's son, Tom Louis Dragna, was a nephew of DeSimone. One of DeSimone's earliest acts as boss was attending the 1957 Appalachian, New York mob convention along with Simone Scozzari, who had his name changed to DeSimone.
Shortly before he became boss of the Los Angeles mafia, DeSimone supposedly raped the wife of his underboss, Giolamo "Momo" Adamo, in front of her husband. The humiliated Momo later shot his wife and then committed suicide in their San Diego home. Marie Adamo survived her wounds and later married Frank Bompensiro, the San Diego mafia capo.
Frank DeSimone reportedly ruined the Los Angeles family's reputation and integity, causing the chapter to earn its title "The Mickey Mouse Mafia." Nonetheless, DeSimone was featured in Look Magazine in 1965 as one of the decade's notable figures in organized crime. DeSimone took Look Magazine to court for slander.
Frank was involved in a botched assassination attempt on Mickey Cohen where he shot "Hooky Rothman", who Aladena Fratianno considered as Mickey Cohen's smartest and toughest with a single shotgun blast to the head.
He was also responsible for having Jimmy Fratianno wrongfully sent to Folsom prison on a six-year extortion conviction, after dealing with con-artists, James B. Modica a man who 'bumped' slot machines and liqour store owner in Tarzana, and Frank Raspona from Cleveland. He was later disbarred due to his criminal activity. He would hold meetings with Jack Dragna and John Rosselli in his firm's office.
Frank died of a heart attack at age 57 on August 6th 1967. After DeSimone's death, the California boss became Nick Licata, who proved even less effective than his predecessor. Licata's underboss, Aladena Frattiano, known as "Jimmy the Weasel," testified against mobsters in Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Detroit, further weakening those family chapters. Licata's successor was Dominick Brooklier, who stabilized the family and ruled until his imprisonment in 1984.
Frank DeSimone's nephew, Tommy DeSimone, was a hitman for the Luchese crime family and was the inspiration for Joe Pesci's character in the 1990 film Goodfellas.
