He Was Gotti's Closest Capo — Then Gotti Had Him Blown Up in a Car Bomb Meant for Gotti Himself

If you’re into true crime, mafia history, and the hidden power struggles of the underworld, be sure to check out BREAKING OMERTÀ for deep dives into notorious crime families, historic trials, and the secrets behind organized crime.    / @breakingomerta   In late 1985, Frank "Frankie Cheech" DeCicco helped John Gotti murder his own boss, Paul Castellano, outside Sparks Steak House. The reward was the second-most powerful seat in the most dangerous crime family in America: underboss of the Gambinos. He held it for one hundred and four days. What DeCicco never saw coming was that killing a boss without the Commission's blessing carried a death sentence of its own. Vincent "the Chin" Gigante wanted revenge, and he wanted it quiet. So on a Sunday afternoon in April 1986, a former Army munitions expert sat across a Brooklyn street, watched a man who looked exactly like Gotti walk to a parked Buick, and pressed a button. The man at the car was not Gotti. It was Frank DeCicco, leaning in to find a business card for someone he barely knew. This is the story of the builder who engineered two murders to reach the top, and died in a borrowed car because of a mistake nobody could have predicted. Drift off as we trace the rise and the reckoning of the most operationally brilliant mind the Gambino family ever produced.