Frank Louis Piccolo also known as Frank Lanza (July 2, 1921 – September 19, 1981), was a ''

caporegime A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to capo or informally referred to as "captain" or "skipper", is a rank used in the Mafia (both the Sicilian Mafia and Italian-American Mafia) for a '' made member'' of an Italian crime family who he ...

'' in the Gambino crime family in Bridgeport, Connecticut who became involved in a famous

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...

case with singer

Wayne Newton Carson Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942) is an American singer and actor. One of the most popular singers in the nation from the mid-to-late 20th-century, Newton remains one of the best-known entertainers in Las Vegas. He is known by the nicknam ...

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 tall and weighed with black hair, brown eyes, and had a husky build. He was married to Virginia Paglinco and was the father of four children. Piccolo and his family lived in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was the cousin of

Guido Penosi Guido "The Bull" Penosi (June 4, 1930 – Feb 22, 2010) was a Illegal drug trade, narcotics dealer with the Gambino crime family, Gambino and Lucchese crime family, Lucchese crime families who was indicted for an extortion attempt against singer Way ...

. 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 Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

tabloid newspaper A tabloid is a newspaper with a compact page size smaller than broadsheet. There is no standard size for this newspaper format. Etymology The word ''tabloid'' comes from the name given by the London-based pharmaceutical company Burroughs We ...

, but was being threatened by his partners in the venture. When the

Las Vegas Police Department The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (also known as the LVMPD or Metro) is a combined city and county law enforcement agency for the City of Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is headed by the Sheriff of Clark County, w ...

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. 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 Loletha Elayne Falana or Loletha Elaine Falana (born September 11, 1942), better known by her stage name Lola Falana, is an American singer, dancer, and actress. Early life Lola Falana was born in Camden, New Jersey. She was the third of si ...

from a selected insurance agent. Piccolo also told some of his associates in New York that he was going to be a "

silent partner A silent partner is one who shares in the profits and losses of a business, but is not involved in its management. Silent partner or Silent Partners may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Silent Partner'', a 2005 film starring Tara Reid ...

" 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 The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI) was listening in on Newton's conversations with the mobsters. On June 12, 1981, Piccolo and Penosi were indicted in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

on charges of conspiring to extort money and "valuable rights" from Newton and Falana. 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. Piccolo was reportedly killed on the orders of Gambino boss

Paul Castellano Constantino Paul Castellano (; June 26, 1915 – December 16, 1985), was an American crime boss who succeeded Carlo Gambino as head of the Gambino crime family. Castellano was killed in an unsanctioned hit on December 16, 1985. Early life Cast ...

. Piccolo was killed because he had been trying to encroach on the

Genovese crime family The Genovese crime family, () also sometimes referred to as the Westside, is an Italian-American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City and New Jersey as part of the American M ...

's control of rackets in Connecticut. Not wanting to risk lucrative construction rackets the Gambinos shared with the Genovese family, Castellano ordered Piccolo's murder.

References

1921 births 1981 deaths Gambino crime family Murdered American gangsters of Italian descent People from Bridgeport, Connecticut People murdered in Connecticut Deaths by firearm in Connecticut {{US-crime-bio-stub

Biography

See also

References