Frank Piccolo

Frank Louis Piccolo also known as Frank Lanza, (July 2, 1921 - September 19, 1981) was a caporegime in the Gambino crime family in Bridgeport, Connecticut who became involved in a famous extortion case with singer Wayne Newton.

Biography

Born on July 2, 1921, in New York City, Piccolo was the only son of Francesco Piccolo and Fannie Lanza. Frank Piccolo stood at 6 ft (1.8 m) tall and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg) with black hair, brown eyes, and had a husky build. He was married to Virginia Paglinco and was the father of four children.[1] Piccolo and his family lived in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

In 1980, Piccolo attempted to blackmail money from Wayne Newton. Newton was trying to disengage himself from a financial investment in a Las Vegas, Nevada tabloid newspaper, but was being threatened by his partners in the venture. When the Las Vegas Police Department was unable to stop the threats, Newton turned to his friend Guido Penosi for help. Penosi referred Newton to Piccolo, who then used his influence to stop the threats. Piccolo then performed a similar favor for Newton's business advisor.[2]

At this point, Piccolo wanted a quid pro quo from Newton. Piccolo started pressuring the business advisor to purchase life insurance for singer Lola Falana from a selected insurance agent. Piccolo also told some of his associates in New York that he was going to be a "silent partner" with Newton in his attempt to purchase the Aladdin Hotel and Casino (now called the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino) in Las Vegas. By this time, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was listening in on Newton's conversations with the mobsters.[2] On June 12, 1981, Piccolo and Penosi were indicted in Connecticut on charges of conspiring to extort money and "valuable rights" from Newton and Falana.[3] However, Piccolo was dead by the time the trial started.

On September 19, 1981, Piccolo was shot to death in a telephone booth on a street in Bridgeport.[2] Piccolo was reportedly killed on the orders of Gambino boss Paul Castellano.[4] Piccolo was killed because he had been trying to encroach on the Genovese crime family's control of rackets in Connecticut. Not wanting to risk lucrative constructions rackets the Gambinos share with the Genovese family, Castellano ordered Piccolo's murder.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Giancana, United States Treasury Department, Bureau of Narcotics ; foreword by Sam (2007). Mafia : the government's secret file on organized crime (1st ed. ed.). New York: Collins. p. 77. ISBN 0061363855.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Abrams, Floyd (2005). Speaking freely : trials of the First Amendment. New York [u. a.]: Penguin books. ISBN 0143036750.
  3. ↑ "The Region; 2 Allegedly in Mobs Accused of Extortion". New York Times. June 13, 1981. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  4. ↑ FBI document registered in court case against Sammy Gravano
  5. ↑ Sifakis, Carl (2005). The Mafia encyclopedia (3. edition. ed.). New York: Facts on File. ISBN 0816056943.