Frank Decicco passed away at age 64 years old on February 16, 1993. He has been portrayed several times in films. The man who had been with him survived. [18], The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn denied DeCicco a Mass before the burial, saying it should be delayed for the sake of the DeCicco family and to honor "the solemnity of the occasion".[19]. * Frank DeCicco also known as Frankie D and Frankie Cheech (November 5, 1935 - April 13, 1986) was the underboss for the Gambino crime family in New York City. He was second in command. In November 1997, author Jerry Capeci reported that Casso, now a government witness, revealed that the plotters selected Genovese associate Herbert Pate to kill Gotti with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). In 1978, he convinced Gravano that a hit ordered by Castellano on Gravano's brother-in-law, Nicholas Scibetta, was justified. Resend Activation Email. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. DeCicco was also close to Gambino capo James Failla, whom he described as his "rabbi". Gotti was pretty upset with Frank DeCicco's murder and even promised that he would revenge the killing. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. But trouble was brewing. Andy and Anthony (Tony Lee) Guerrieri even got into an argument over Fat Andy's reluctance to make any of his guys. I'll become the boss, and you'll be my underboss, and we'll run the family right. Due to fear of the wrong crowds attending his funeral, DeCicco did not get a funeral mass before he was buried. This led to his death four months later. RIP Frankie. Given DeMeo's fearsome reputation, DeCicco found it difficult to find any family members who would take the job. The idea behind the bomb was to mislead Gotti into thinking that some zips, perhaps going back to the Gambino-Castellano relationship, had committed the hit. The members of Local 282 delivered concrete and building materials to construction sites in New York City and Long Island. [en] Vital records: Frank Decicco at +Archives + Follow. Additionally, the hit had not been carried out according to the rules. Frank's uncle was Gambino capo George DeCicco. Make a life-giving gesture He would die in prison in 2005. But Cosa Nostra being Cosa Nostra, it wasn't longa couple of yearsbefore Bruno, Well, Sierra Leone, Pakistan, and Guatemalato name three places that Dominick Cicale, former Bonanno crime family capo, has visited on business during post-Cosa Nostra life over the past nine years. DeCicco and mobster James Failla appealed to Castellano to meet with the son of Dellacroce. Anthony Pescatore/NY Daily News Archive/Getty ImagesThe aftermath of Frank DeCiccos revenge murder by car bomb in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn in 1986. DeCicco was the son of Vincent "Boozy" DeCicco from Benevento, Italy, an alcoholic soldier with the Gambino family. Defense lawyers using the "musical consiglieris" defense in the courtroom apparently wasn't the only reason why Michael (Mikey Nose) Mancuso, boss of the Bonanno family, took the drastic step of expelling (aka shelving) his own acting boss and three others from the crime family back in 2019. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. April 13, 1986 (aged 50) Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S. Thomas Bilotti, Angelo Ruggiero, Gene Gotti, John gotti tells frank decicco to go fuck himself. View details expand_more Forum 1 comment Contributors facetime Gotti had opted to skip the meeting at the last minutea move that may have saved his life. We all jumped up. Michael Julian, another department spokesman. Let him be the boss. Still from YouTube interview with Tough Tony Federici. [8], Just before 5:30 p.m. on Monday, December 16, Castellano and Bilotti were shot to death while exiting their Lincoln Town Car outside of Sparks Steak House.[9][10][11][12]. Dom Cicale's podcast will debut next week. John M. Kovaleski, 83, of Richmondale, passed away surrounded by loved ones on Thursday, Feb. 16, at Geisinger Community Medical Center after a period of illness. Coverage of mobster Frank DeCicco's 1986 funeral in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. [1] Frank's uncle was Gambino capo George DeCicco. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? As soon as Louie got out of jail, Frankie said he had to be killed. Prior to the two murders, Gravano told DeCicco that he, not Gotti, should become the new boss with Gotti as underboss. The designation of Mr. DeCicco as underboss was viewed by city, state and Federal organized-crime intelligence analysts as an effort by Mr. Gotti to pacify rival factions in the Gambino group after Mr. Castellano's murder. He also had a slightly mashed nose. Officer Romeo, who was 100 feet behind the parked car issuing a summons witnessed the explosion, Sergeant Kubler said. Gang Land also reported today that tensions between Mikey Nose and Joe C. ramped up significantly last week, to the extent that there was a big brawl at a Long Island funeral parlor during a wake for Cammarano's father-in-law, Vito Grimaldi. He set off the bomb as soon as the underboss was close to his car, and it turned into a ball of fire while shattering nearby windows. Yes, I am in tech, but you may not know that I passionately love to write. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. Exclusive on Patreon: Link Below.https://www.patreon.com/user?u=. Castellano was lured by DeCicco on December 16, 1985, to a meeting in Midtown Manhattan at Spark's Steakhouse. [en] . In 1973, DeCicco and future Lucchese crime family underboss Anthony Casso were robbing diamond dealers and hijacking trucks throughout New York State. Frank's a gambler. Death 13 Apr 1986 (aged 50) . Family members linked to this person will appear here. In the 1998 TV film Witness to the Mob, Frank is portrayed by Frank Vincent. His name was Frank Bellino and he was a 69-year-old friend of the family. 2 MAN IN CRIME FAMILY By Peter Kerr April 14, 1986, "The New Godfather: The Rise of John Gotti", "Crime boss, bodyguard murdered in Manhattan", "Mob boss murder leads to bulletin for Lincoln car", "The Gambino Crime Family: Manhattan vs. Brooklyn", "DIOCESE PROHIBITS MASS AT MOB FIGURE'S BURIAL", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frank_DeCicco&oldid=1136852315, This page was last edited on 1 February 2023, at 13:51. Federal Bureau of Investigation/Wikimedia Commons, Michael Norcia/New York Post Archives /(c) NYP Holdings, Inc. via Getty Images. Although paid overtime, DeCicco was rarely present at any construction sites. I hope you listen in about what we've been up to and what we have planned for 2023! Before they made it into the building, four men in trench coats and Russian fur hats opened fire, killing the mob boss right there on the street. DeCicco often attended meetings at Castellano's Todt Hill, Staten Island mansion. Genovese Family Captain RALPH BALSAMO and Soldier MICHAEL MESSINA pled guilty before Judge Koeltl on February 9 and are scheduled to be sentenced by him on June 28, 2023. Life After Frank DeCicco's Murder DeCicco's death was a massive blow to the Gambino crime family. Surprisingly, the blast didn't dislodge his signature cigar from his mouth, and he lay on the ground dead with it still firmly between his teeth. DeCicco dyed his silver hair black, leaving silver streaks styled in a pompadour coif. I would tell Louie what we discovered. Gigante had the Lucchese crime family plot the assassinations of DeCicco and Gotti for breaking mob rules, and Herbert Pate was sent to kill the two of them. Was just too bad my prediction came to pass on a pal. Pate had been chosen because he could not be linked to the Gambino crime family. Former underboss and government witness Sammy Gravano described DeCicco as being calculating and observant. As he was picking up groceries, Pate secretly attached a bomb to the car underside. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. He is s Frank DeCicco Senior Director, College Marketing, Sony Music Entertainment Frank DeCicco is the head of college marketing at Sony Music. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Every other cooperator is on there and Im not allowed to. Life went on after Frank DeCicco died. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Let him be the boss. [13], Gravano would later say in his autobiography, "Louie (Milito) had got pinched for something and was away for a short time when we made our move (the murders of Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti.) Method of Detonation Unknown. He remained at the helm until he was convicted of murder in 1992. In about 30 years, Frank DeCicco was one of the first mobsters to go against the boss of the Gambino crime family. Renee Graziano's ex-husband got a reduced sentence in 2014 because he flipped and testified against tw, Turncoat Bonanno associate/former podcaster Gene Borrello has been sent back to jail again for violating the conditions of his supervised release. This browser does not support getting your location. Louie could have betrayed us if he wasn't in jail. He had a brother called George DeCicco, a soldier for the Gambino crime family. John Gotti sat in his car nearby, ensuring that the plan went smoothly. This memorial website was created in memory of Frank Decicco, 82, born on January 8, 1884 and passed away on October 0, 1966. . This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. I grabbed a leg, but he ain't coming with it. He had no blood left in him, nothing, not an ounce.". Gravano suggested that DeCicco becomes the boss and not Gotti. northwestern college graduation 2022; elizabeth stack biography. If it don't work within a year, me and you, we'll kill him. cemeteries found in New Dorp, Richmond County (Staten Island), New York, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. There wasn't a drop of blood on it. He was playing both sides. Credit: Noah Goldberg/Daily News . I was wearing a white shirt. It also bothered me that readers might think I had copied the situation, for my book, which was in the process of being published up at S & S. I had written everything two years earlier and didn't want to look like I had exploited a friend's death. Gene Borrello in hot water once again. Friends and colleagues, if you have the knowledge, and would like to volunteer your time to help bring aid to those in Trkiye following the recent earthquake, Carmine Giammarino said his father was at work, but declined to describe his occupation. DeCicco tipped Gotti off that he would be having a meeting with Castellano and several other Gambino mobsters at Sparks Steak House on December 16. Add to your scrapbook. And, despite the incessant denials, Federici was a power in the Genov, It's one of gangland's most high-profile, enigmatic hits -- and the identity of the killer has been debated for decades. Law-enforcement officials said Mr. DeCicco's death appeared to be the latest in a series of recent upheavals in the New York City underworld as a result of a major Federal crackdown on underworld activities. Frank DeCicco, husband of the late Evangeline (Carioty) DeCicco, passed away peacefully on February 14, 2021 with his daughter by his bedside. He died following a long battle with Neurological Lyme Disease, according to one news report . Frank DeCicco was a Gambino family underboss in the 1970s and '80s. What I found troubling was that a bomb was used, which was supposedly verboten, but which I had predicted in my novel, "Blood of Our Fathers." He wound up being right." Inside The Revenge Killing Of Frank DeCicco, The Gambino Underboss Who Brazenly Took Out A Don. After all, we had spared people before. Frank's a gambler. His ability to remain calm earned him a lot of respect among his criminal peers. Not only had he infiltrated the labor unions, but he had also gotten involved with local gambling and loan-sharking rackets. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. As he grew up, DeCicco became known for his brain. Verify and try again. Galante Replay! frank decicco cause of death. Near the car, he dropped one of the bags. Finally, DeCicco recruited Gambino associates Anthony Senter and Joseph Testa, both members of DeMeo's crew, to murder their capo. Castellano had gotten the same treatment for the same reasons. Mob's Greatest Hits: Frankie Cheech Bomb Plot. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Pate saw Lucchese soldier Frank "Frankie Hearts" Bellino standing next to DeCicco's car. Home News Random Article Install Wikiwand Send a suggestion Uninstall Wikiwand Let him be the boss. However, he was not John Gotti. Upon their arrival, Frank DeCicco was pronounced dead. Frank was a tall, muscular man with a thick neck that showed exposed thick arteries when he was angry. As close as Frank DeCicco was to Castellano, who was 70 at the time, he was still close enough to John Gotti to help him come up with a plot to murder the elderly mob boss. In 1978, he ordered the murder of Nicholas Scibetta for insulting his cousin, and he organized the 1983 murder of Roy DeMeo. Only the Mafia Commission, which was controlled by Gigante, had the authority to assassinate a boss. Frank DeCicco was born in Bath Beach, Brooklyn, New York City on 5 November 1935, and he grew up in Staten Island, New York. Please try again later. For both men, the reasoning was that the public nature of their deaths would attract crowds for all the wrong reasons. In 1978, Castellano allegedly ordered the murder of Gambino associate Nicholas Scibetta. Officer Witnessed Explosion. Pate left without anyone realizing what had happened. DeCicco eventually became a protegee of boss Paul Castellano, also a Bath Beach native. The car bombing that wiped out Gambino big-shot Frank "Frankie Cheech" DeCicco was really collateral damage from the hit on Paul Castellano. bishop vesey's grammar school fees. In 1973, DeCicco and Anthony Casso began to rob diamond dealers and hijack trucks throughout New York state, and he became a protege of fellow Bath Beach native Paul Castellano. Former Mafia Capo Dominick Cicale Answers Your Questions. To replace DeCicco, Gotti ultimately appointed capo Joseph Armone as underboss. Death date: 4 October, 2006, Wednesday This memorial website was created in memory of Maria Decicco, 88, born on February 16, 1918 and passed away on October 4, 2006. The owner of an Italian restaurant directly across the street from where the car was parked said that Mr. DeCicco and Mr. Bellino were ''very good customers'' of his establishment but had not been in the restaurant before the explosion. Where In The World Is Onetime Bonanno Capo Dom Cicale These Days? I argued for Louie's life. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. However, DeCicco managed to calm Gravano down and accept Scibetta's death. Paul Castellanos body next to his limousine on the streets of Manhattan. Louie had to die. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Theres no ass. A judge sentenced him to time served and probatio, Four members and two associates of the Genovese crime family have now pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced on Thursday, February 9. Probably a lot closer than the public has believed. He had no blood left in him, nothing, not an ounce.. Sammy, I'll tell you what. As soon as Louie got out of jail, Frankie said he had to be killed. DeMeo headed a crew that had committed as many as 200 contract killings. He is currently residing at the Brooklyn RRM (a halfway house where he and other Federal offenders receive "community-based services that will assist with their reentry needs.") Organized Crime Figure. It signaled another level down in the mob's sinking to the bottom. He was second in command of the Gambino crime family. The wiseguys patted them on the back, told them they were "good kids," and maybe asked them to watch the cars, Back in 2014, after hearing (and ignoring) the heartfelt pleas of a murdered man's daughter, Brooklyn Federal Judge John Gleeson sentenced Hector (Junior) Pagan to 11 years in prison and offered a thoughtful comment. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made in Joseph's name to Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties, 800 Stony Brook Ct., Newburgh, NY 12550 or to Lyme Research Alliance, 20, 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., Membership In Colombo War Factions (1991-1993), Former Bonanno Capo Dom Cicale's Debut Podcast To Focus On Plot To Take Out Mikey Nose, Hoodwinked: Restaurateur on Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares Was a Mobster, From The Streets Of Woodhaven To The Gilded Halls Of Mar-a-Lago: Update On John Alite, Mob Wife Ex-Husband Hector Pagan In Brooklyn Halfway House With April 2021 Release Date, Gene Borrello, Former Mob Associate-Turned-Fledging Podcaster, Sent Back To The Can For Six Months, Six Genovese Wiseguys, Associates Plead Guilty To Racketeering; Face 20 Years Apiece, Notorious Bonanno Wiseguy Bruno Indelicato Released From Prison. I would tell Louie what we discovered. ALL IN: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcuHpcV2MbFgcJsok-gL3gwY8OfzVkacPFinding Faith: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcuHpcV2MbFg7_GyPTOJfF9PiWwo9sgMdThe Big Idea: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcuHpcV2MbFizXx6FzVo9sCaNbCYu_rVB November 1935 in , Brooklyn, New York City; 13. Mr. Gotti took over the Mafia family, the authorities said, less than a month after the previous head of the group, Paul Castellano, was shot to death. Each faces up to 20 years in prison, according to a media release fromthe U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York. Mafia news site. Frank DeCicco, 27, charged with burglarizng the County Line Inn on Route 68 Urbana - Dec 16, 1955 Frank E DeCicco sentenced to 15 days for the theft of $7 from St Mary's church. John is the poster boy for turning yourself around. (Or fired up the chainsaw, depending on who you believe). Genovese Family associate THOMAS POLI pled guilty before United States District Judge John G. Koeltl on September 29, 2022, and is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Koeltl on April 13, 2023. Yes, they did, but Americans after 1931 banned it because of the heat it would bring if a civilian or more were killed by accident. Supervising agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Edward Magnuson testified that a confidential informant had told him that 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." I grabbed a leg, but he aint coming with it. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. This is a carousel with slides. Initially, Gravano was quite furious to hear there was a plan to kill his brother-in-law, and he had declared that he would kill Castellano before he had a chance to kill Scibetta. (Page 2) The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn denied DeCicco a Mass before the burial, saying it should be delayed for the sake of the DeCicco family and to honor "the solemnity of the occasion". Bellino's Car Nearby. But before all that he appeared on an episode of Kitchen Nightmares in which he acted very much like the mobster he allegedly was trying to become around the time of filming. Rather, one of his close friendsBrazilian businessman Pedro (Peter) Alberto Leite, president of Hichens, Harrison & Co., who is a years-long member of Mar-a-Lagobrought him in as a guest. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. With the fire, it could blow up again. Find the obituary of Frank P. Decicco Jr. (2021) from Winchester, MA. 13 Archaeological Discoveries Of 2019 That Filled Us With Wonder, Richard Klinkhamer Killed His Wife, Evaded Arrest, And Wrote A Book About How He 'Would' Have Killed Her, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. [citation needed]. He died in a car bombing in Dyker Heights.Even though he was John Gotti's underboss, The Teflon Don did not attend the funeral. 2 MAN IN CRIME FAMILY, https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/14/nyregion/car-bomb-kills-the-no-2-man-in-crime-family.html. He's a street dog Sammy." Tommaso Verdillo, the owner of Tommaso's Italian restaurant at 1464 86th Street, said that one of his employees told him the car had not been parked there when he parked his own car across the street at 11 A.M. Mr. Tommaso said the explosion was ''low sounding, but very forceful'' and shook the building housing his restaurant. Dom Cicale at St. Joseph School for Girls. Initially he'd been closely affiliated with "Big Ernie" in the Genovese family. DeCicco's crew was one of the most powerful in the Gambino family. A man who answered the telephone at the Giammarino residence and identified himself as Mr. Giammarino's son, Carmine, said that a car matching the description of the vehicle in the explosion belonged to his father. Frank's nephew was Gambino mobster Robert DeCicco. DiCicco is alleged to have been involved in an altercation with comedian Ted Healy just before the latter's death in 1937. Gotti was in court on racketeering charges at the time of the funeral.This FOX 5 News archival footage includes a report from Frank Grimes.More FOX 5 Mob stories: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcuHpcV2MbFhd-4o5u_w1qsfuD-OSofEKSubscribe to FOX 5 NY: https://www.youtube.com/fox5nyWatch FOX 5 NY Live: https://www.fox5ny.com/liveFOX 5 NY delivers breaking news, live events, investigations, politics, entertainment, business news, and local stories from New York City and across the nation.Watch more FOX 5 NY on YouTube:Black Entrepreneurs: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcuHpcV2MbFhCA1ErwiU_6G6XSA-HBg0rSTREET SOLDIERS with LISA EVERS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcuHpcV2MbFgxNyloxnZwYu5p0oWN_lSJA.I. But law-enforcement officials last night said they believed Mr. DeCiccio had been driving the Buick for nearly a year. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Frank DeCicco was brought under the wing of Gambino crime boss Paul Castellano, then he fatefully and fatally teamed up with John Gotti against him. Who knows how close New York's Mafia came to shooting it out. A member of that crew asked me what I thought was behind it when it happened, I said I believed that John did it as a peace offering to the old establishment wing of guys like Jimmy Brown. More importantly, Castellano had been Gigante's ally. DeMeo headed a crew that had committed as many as 200 contract killings. Of course, that didn't turn out to be the case. By 1983, DeMeo was under heavy law enforcement investigation. Casso told investigators that the plotters decided to kill Gotti and DeCicco with a bomb in order to make the Gambinos think that Zips, or Sicilian mafiosi, were involved. Probably a lot closer than the public has believed. Check out my first published article on how being vulnerable is key to your success. In the late 1960s to early 1970s, DeCicco joined the Gambino family and soon became a "soldier". Soon after Castellano's death, Gotti declared himself the new family boss and designated DeCicco as his underboss. Also known as Big Paul, Castellano was Carlo Gambinos cousin, and in 1976 he became the new crime boss of the Gambino family when Gambino died. He also appeared in the 1998 film Witness to the Mob, and the 2018 movie, Gotti. Sammy Gravano was nearby when the hit took place. He did not want to get involved with drugs. Just two guys from Queens chatting. A police officer, Carmine Romeo, who saw the explosion said a black, mushroom-shaped cloud rose from the vehicle and flames burst from its windows. The police closed two blocks of the street for several hours while investigators sifted through the rubble and work crews cleaned the area. frank decicco cause of death. In addition to the podcast, Dom has something else potentially in the works with another podcaster, category killer (, Peter (Peter Pasta) Pellegrino, formerly of the Babylon, New Yorkrestaurant Peters Italian Restaurant, really is -- or was -- a gangster. Unfortunately, even after helping John Gotti get to the top, other mobsters still had a grudge against DeCicco. Frank's a gambler. Talk about what services you provide. Soon after the bomb went off, a police officer who was close by tried to pull away the two men who had been hit and put out the fire in their clothes. If we can control him to stop the gambling and all of his flamboyant bullshit, he could be a good boss. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jo Ann Supancik Kovaleski, who died Jan. 3, 2021. 'The House Shook'. Make sure that the file is a photo. The members of Local 282 delivered concrete and building materials to construction sites in New York City and Long Island. The grave site of Frank Decicco. He recruited Lucchese underboss Anthony Casso to plan the murder of John Gotti. DeCicco often attended meetings at Castellano's Todt Hill, Staten Island mansion. Frank DeCicco was a close friend of Gottis and helped him plot the hit against 70-year-old Castellano. It included associate Joseph Watts, John Gotti's chauffeur and bodyguard, Joseph Paruta, and Vito Rizzuto Sr. DeCicco became heavily involved in labor racketeering with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union Local 282. The truth is, we know very little about this murder, including who pulled the trigger. Born November 5, 1935. This is a great space to write long text about your company and your services. Due to fear of the wrong crowds attending his funeral, DeCicco did not get a funeral mass before he was buried. After all, we had spared people before. Castellano had also been denied this right. Louie had to die.". On December 16, 1985, Castellano and Bilotti were shot to death while exiting their Lincoln Town Car outside of the Sparks Steak House. It also had something to do with betrayal: ex-acting boss Joseph (Joe C) Cammarano tried to take control of the crime family while Mikey Nose was still in prison, according to today's Gang Land News , which reports that details of Joe C's maneuvering against Mancuso came to light via testimony at the Bonanno racketeering trial . (See Peter's Italian Restaurant menu here .) Gotti replaced his right-hand man and went on to run the family as the Dapper Don until he was eventually convicted of murder and racketeering in 1992. The revenge was set in motion by Castellano's old friend, Vincent "The Chin" Gigante, the head of the Genovese crime family. There was an error deleting this problem. Members of the Bath Avenue Crew were as young as 8 years old when they began to align themselves with the biggest, baddest gang in America: Cosa Nostra, specifically the Five Families. [citation needed], In late 1985, DeCicco and John Gotti conspired to murder Castellano and his new underboss, Thomas Bilotti. DeCicco's crew was one of the most powerful in the Gambino family.