Francesco (Frankie Carroll) Garofalo was a powerhouse in the Bonanno Family who was a confidante and advisor to Joe Bonanno for many years. Francesco (Frankie Carroll) Garofalo was born on April 4, 1890 in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily. He was a “powerhouse” in his own right, a highly respected and feared leader. Garofalo was a commanding presence, a distinguished, nice-looking man who stood 5 feet 7 inches tall with grey hair and soft brown eyes. Francesco (Frankie Carroll) Garofalo He wore glasses, was well-dressed, and quickly commanded any room he entered. NYPD #B-66994 He was a confidante and advisor to Joe Bonanno for many years. He had a kid brother, Vincent (Vinny Carroll), who was wounded with Vincent (Lefty) Cassese during the Bonanno War. By then, Frank had relocated back to Sicily, where he became a power within the local Castellammare cosca. He was highly suspected of being the “anchor” of a multi-national, multi-Family narcotics conspiracy with the Bonanno Family leading the troops. He held ownership interests in several large real estate property holdings and the High Grade Packing Co. of Merced, California. High Grade was suspected of being a conduit for heroin trafficking. Before going back to live in Sicily, Garofalo resided for many years on the upper east side of Manhattan at 339 E. 58th Street and maintained an apartment in California (PO Box 1370, Merced, California). Although a suave, educated, and polished man, Garofalo was a top killer and enforcer suspected of ordering the execution killing of Carlo Tresca, an anti-fascist publisher, in 1943. This killing was alleged to be a favor to Benito Mussolini and carried out by a young Carmine (Lilo) Galante and his buddy and sidekick Joseph (Joe Beck) DiPalermo, a Lucchese soldier from downtown Elizabeth Street in Little Italy. Garofalo had been arrested once in 1926 in NYC for bootlegging. Otherwise, he kept such a low profile as to be a virtual unknown outside the world of OC. He attended the Binghamton, NY, mob meeting in 1956. His close associates included Bonanno, Galante, William Tocco of Detroit, and Robert Dionisio of Colorado (a suspected member). Francesco (Frankie Carroll) Garofalo was considered one of the top leaders of LCN in both the United States and Italy until his death in 1973. Until next time..."The Other Guy"
