How Did Frank DeCicco Die? The Car Bomb Under the Underboss
Mobsters DailyFrank DeCicco, John Gotti's new underboss, was killed on April 13, 1986, when a bomb planted under his Buick exploded on 86th Street in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn — a hit ordered by Genovese boss Vincent Gigante and Lucchese leaders in revenge for the unsanctioned Castellano murder. The bomber mistook soldier Frank Bellino for Gotti; Bellino survived, losing a leg, while DeCicco died at the scene.
Revenge for Sparks
Gotti's December 1985 murder of Paul Castellano, retold in the Castellano piece, broke the Commission's oldest rule: no boss is killed without approval. Vincent "Chin" Gigante — profiled in the Oddfather story — allied with Lucchese boss Vittorio Amuso and underboss Anthony Casso to answer it. They recruited an associate with explosives expertise, though bombs were themselves against mob rules because they endanger bystanders.
DeCicco, "Frankie Cheech," was the diplomat of Gotti's regime — the man who had helped arrange the Sparks hit and then tried to keep the peace it shattered. His death removed the regime's best negotiator. That is exactly the energy behind the Tony Soprano Ugly Christmas Sweater — a holiday nod to the boss who ran a crew from a pork store, not a boardroom, and the perfect gift as the season closes in.
Mistaken identity on 86th Street
The killers watched DeCicco's car outside the Veterans and Friends social club. Bellino, similar in build, approached first and was mistaken for Gotti himself. The remote-detonated bomb destroyed the car; DeCicco, 52, was killed instantly. Gotti, the intended lesson's real target, was nearby and unhurt. The feud simmered for years and fed the prosecutions chronicled in the Commission Trial era and the defections of men like Sammy Gravano, within the wider world of the Five Families.
What the bomb changed
Gotti lost his most capable lieutenant four months into his reign and replaced him, fatefully, with Gravano. The bomb also told every family that the Gotti era would be war — internal, external, and eventually federal.
Frequently asked questions
Who killed Frank DeCicco? A bomb ordered by Genovese boss Vincent Gigante with Lucchese leaders Vittorio Amuso and Anthony Casso, in revenge for Castellano's murder.
Was John Gotti the real target? Yes — the bomber mistook soldier Frank Bellino for Gotti; Gotti was the intended victim of the message.
When did DeCicco die? April 13, 1986, in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. He was 52.
Keep reading: Vincent Gigante, the Oddfather · The Castellano hit that started the war · Gravano, DeCicco's fateful successor
From the shop: Shadows of the Underworld — the real-mafia history behind the bosses, crews and hits in this story.
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