Frank Abbandando, Jr.
Frank Abbandando, Jr. ["Francesco"], also known as "Fingers" (October 17, 1935 - December 22, 1995), was a New York Gambino crime family associate who was the son of Murder, Inc. hitman Frank Abbandando. His brother was mob associate and "button man" Lawrence Abbandando.
Early years
Frank Jr. was born in Ocean Hill, Brooklyn to Frank Abbandando and his girlfriend/common law wife, Jennie. Frank Jr. was a 5'5", husky man described as handsome by Joseph Iannuzzi.
Frank Jr's mother was the operator of a beauty salon in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Frank Jr. grew up knowing mobsters such as Harry Maione and Abe Reles, a member of the infamous Murder, Inc.. Reles later testified against Frank Sr., who was eventually executed in New York for murder.
Earning his nickname
During the 1970s, the Colombo crime family punished Frank Jr. for offending one of its capos (or captains) . During an argument with the capo in New York, Frank Jr. gestured at him with his middle finger. To avenge this act of disrespect, the enraged capo ordered the removal of Frank Jr.'s middle finger. In Florida, Colombo associates allegedly cut the finger off Abbandando's hand with a dull knife, placed it in a bottle of vinegar, and sent the finger to the Colombo family in New York.[1]
Mob life
In the 1970s, Frank Jr. moved from New York City to Miami, Florida, where he worked as a loan shark, drug trafficker, enforcer, and gambler. Like his father, Frank Jr. did not belong to any of the five New York crime families. However, Frank Jr.frequently worked for the Lucchese crime family, the Gambino crime family, and the Colombo crime family, all of whom had operations around Miami, Florida. Frank Jr. also worked for Bonanno crime family capo Gerald Francis Chilli and Gambino capo Andrew Ruggiero. In 1985, Frank Jr. was indicted for racketeering with Thomas Agro and Joseph Armone.
Relationship with Aniello Napolitano
In Florida, Frank Jr. later met Aniello Napolitano, a small-time narcotics dealer. Napolitano wanted to use Frank Jr's La Cosa Nostra connections to become a mob associate. The two men immediately sparked a friendship.
Unknown to Frank Jr, the Miami-Dade Police Department had been keeping Napolitano under surveillance. Undercover surveillance teams observed the two mobsters in clubs such as "Party Girls", a nude bar in Dade County. After further investigation, police became convinced that Napolitano was dealing illegal steroids. They also suspected him in the murder of two drug traffickers who were arrested with Napolitano for dealing narcotics and then vanished. A female police officer was assigned to go undercover as a stripper, but was allegedly seduced by Napolitano's charm and took him to her office in the police department.
Shortly after the failed police investigation, Aniello Napolitano was murdered. In September 1995, parts of his body washed ashore on Miami Beach. According to police, they did not think Frank Jr. killed Napolitano or ordered the hit, although he was certainly capable of either one.[2]
Hit and run
On December 22, 1995, 60-year old Frank Abbandando Jr. was run over on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami by Rocco Napolitano, Napolitano's brother. Dressed in a black track suit and balaclava, Rocco exited the car and shot Abbandando several times. When the police arrested Rocco, he told them, "I'm the one that shot him" and that it was for revenge. Rocco was sentenced to life in prison for Frank Jr.'s murder. Frank Jr. was buried in Ocean Hill, Brooklyn.
References
- ↑ Mafia News http://www.mafia-news.com/en/
- ↑ La Cosa Nostra Database (lacnb.com) http://www.lacndb.com/php/Info.php?name=Domenick%20-%20Sonny%20Black%20-%20Napolitano
Further reading
- East End Gangland & Gangland International Omnibus by James Morton
- Joe Dogs: The Life and Crimes of A Mobster by Joseph "Joe Dogs" Ianuzzi Simon & Schuster (June 1993) ISBN 978-0-671-79752-2
- Murder Inc. The Story of The Syndicate by Burton B. Turkus and Sid Feder
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