Francesco (Frankie Bell) Campanello

Francesco Campanello was a soldier in the Lucchese Family and a top gambling operative serving in the regime of Joseph (Joe Brown) Lucchese (boss Tommy Lucchese's brother.)

During the 1940s and 1950s, he was arguably “the key” operative and overseer for Lucchese gambling interests (primarily bookmaking operations) in Queens County, under the supervision of Joe Brown and Joseph (Joe Narrow) Laratro, twin capo di decinas and partners, who controlled all gambling operations in that area for the Luccheses.

Francesco (Frankie Bell) Campanello was born on June 16, 1906, and raised at 103-18 Corona Ave., and later at 111-01 39th Avenue in the Corona section of Queens. He was a lifelong Queens resident and notorious gambler (KG.)

Francesco Campanello

Over the years, he would reside at 49-07 104th St. in Corona, Maspeth, Woodside, and 141-60 11th Ave. in College Point., but Corona was always his base.

FBI # 62-228, NYCPD # B-64575

Frank Campanello’s criminal record started in 1926 and included armed robbery, assault, disorderly conduct (twice,) consorting, bookmaking (seven times,) and vagrancy (four times.)

In 1926, as a young 20-year-old man, he was arrested for an armed robbery in Corona. He was convicted and sentenced to a 5 to 10-year prison term in Sing Sing Prison in Upstate NY. He was paroled after serving four years and would never again see the inside of a jail!

Side Note: Although arrested early on for this robbery, Campanello was not a violent man, and the arrest would not be indicative of his lifestyle. He was a gambler “cut and dried” all his life.

Campanello's activities included bookmaking and gambling rackets “overseer,” and police bribery (supervising the “pad.") Although the network he was involved with handled both bookmaking and policy as well as floating dice and card games. Campanello confined his specialty to “bookmaking,” per se; not policy. But he sometimes took an interest in several dice games over the years.

He was a top gambling operative serving in the regime of Joseph Lucchese (boss Tommy Lucchese's brother) for many decades. During the 1940s and 1950s, he was arguably “the key” operative and overseer for Lucchese gambling interests (primarily bookmaking operations) in Queens County, under the supervision of Joe Brown and Joseph (Joe Narrow) Laratro, twin capo di decinas and partners, who controlled all gambling operations in that area for the Luccheses.

Joseph (Joe Brown) Lucchese

Although active elsewhere in Queens and other boroughs, their dominant influence was in the northern Queens sections of Corona (always their base of operations,) Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Forest Hills, Rego Park, Woodside, Sunnyside, Ridgewood, Maspeth, Flushing, College Point, Bayside, Whitestone, Malba, and other sections of the borough.

This sprawling gambling “network” specialized in a huge policy-numbers lottery and horse-sports bookmaking empire and grossed approximately $ 15,000,000 a year. It also employed literally hundreds of policy runners, independent bookmakers, sheet writers, fifty-fifty runners, and various gambling partnerships. But they all were under the domination of the Lucchese Family, and Campanello was one of a highly-trusted few who oversaw this operation and reported back to the “Joe Brown-Joey Narrow” Corona regime.

* Note: These are legitimate 1950s to '60s estimates and NOT an overstatement by law enforcement to enhance their arrest figures. This gambling network actually grossed those figures and better in its heyday. Remember, it encompassed much of Queens.

“Frankie Bell” also helped control “the pad” for this operation, collecting monthly “fees” from not only their people but also various independent bookmakers who were friendly with this network and “paid off,” so as not to be arrested by Queens police gambling squads. Key members in the local 110th and 112th Precinct, the Division, The Boro, and Commissioners Confidential Squad were among cops paid off in those days. And although not everyone had their hand out, many worked with local mob guys, in general, and this network, in particular, in that area.

Queens Gambling Underworld

His known associates were a virtual "who's who in the Queens gambling underworld. They included Joseph Lucchese, Joseph Laratro, Donato Laratro, Anthony Lucchese, Eugene Giannone , Joseph Brocchini, Ralph Serpico, Frank Serpico , Aniello Migliore, Michael Struzzieri, William Struzzieri, Donato Laietta , Frank Arra, Hugh Mulligan , Carmine Tramunti, Charles Villella, Joseph Fello, Charlie Fello, and Willy Fello, among many others.

Side Note: Most I named, and many others I did not, lived within a 3 to 5-mile radius of each other in the same northern Queens areas. This made for an extremely cohesive and smooth operation of not only the Corona “regime,” but also for the Family, in general. It was a well-run Family!

In 1932, as a 26-year-old young man, he was arrested by Newtown precinct police for assaulting Maurice Melita (uncle or father of future hoodlum Joseph Melita, a Vincent Potenza associate) on a Corona street corner. Campanello allegedly struck Melita in the face at Alstyne Street and Corona Avenue. The charge was dismissed.

In 1935, he and pal Charles Villella were arrested for vagrancy and unlicensed driving after being questioned by a policeman who viewed them with suspicion, pulling them from a parked auto at 2 a.m. on a darkened street in College Point, Queens.

In 1936, during a citywide drive against over 200 known criminals, he and his boyhood chum, Ralph Serpico (Farby's brother,) were arrested in a Flushing bowling alley for vagrancy and consorting with known criminals (each other.)They later paid a small fine!

Frank (Farby) Serpico

In 1938, he was arrested in front of a Woodside luncheonette for bookmaking. The charges were later dismissed for “lack of evidence” in Ridgewood felony court.

In 1940, he was among six gamblers arrested by Queens detectives on bookmaking charges. He was arrested with Albert Bobson and Andrew Barron of the Bronx. The charges were “surprisingly” dismissed.

In 1944, he was one of three men charged with bookmaking and gambling conspiracy after he was arrested in a Corona wire room. Arrested along with him were Israel Tan, a Queens (KG), and John Dantuono. They had been put under surveillance and their phones tapped (at three houses used as wire rooms) over four days before the “confidential squad” pounced on them. Campanello was said to be the boss of the operation. They later all pled out to a $200 fine.

In 1946, Campanello was charged with gun possession after Queens gambling squad detectives raided a barbershop at 38th Avenue and Junction Blvd. in Corona. They were trying to bust him for taking bets, but all police found were two “toy cap-pistols.” They arrested him anyway.

After pleading not guilty, Campanello explained to the Court that the toys were for his sons (he bought them at a recent rodeo.) The judge in the case could clearly see that the arrest was just harassment of Campanello and dismissed all charges.

In 1948, he was one of several arrested for bookmaking in a raid on a Jackson Heights wire room. Ralph Serpico was again among the arrested. And the charges, once again, were "surprisingly" dismissed.

In 1963, Campanello was one of 32 “top hoodlums” named by the Queens D.A.’s office and put under a special intense scrutiny. This was shortly after Joseph Valachi named him as among the Lucchese Family “button men” during his Senate hearing testimony that year.

In closing, let me say that “Frankie Bell” was a class guy! Well-liked by all who knew him, soft-spoken, well-mannered, and an all-around gentleman to all who dealt with him. Never loud or brash, he seamlessly operated over many decades with little fanfare. And although having been arrested many times over his “career,” he served only that one prison term for a youthful mistake in judgment.

Francesco (Frankie Bell) Campanello, unfortunately, died young in August 1969. He was 62 years old.

Until next time..."The Other Guy!"

Francesco (Frankie Bell) Campanello

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You May Also Enjoy

Soldier Antonio (Tony Grio) Vadala: Tommy Lucchese’s “Compare”

Michael (Charlie Monti) Fiermonti: Lucchese Family Associate

Corona, Queens Lucchese Soldier: Eugene (Little Gene) Giannone

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