Frank (Frankie the Wop) Gagliardi – Low-Key but No Wallflower

In his later years, Frank Gagliardi started spending more and more time in South Florida . By that time, his caporegime Terry Zappi had also permanently relocated down to the Fort Lauderdale area where he had always kept a winter home.

Francesco Sebastiano Gagliardi - aka “Frank Gagliardi,” “Frank Gagliano,” and “Frank the Wop” - was born in Manhattan in 1905 and resided in Brooklyn for most of his adult life. He listed his residence as 725 Sixth Avenue for many years with the Bay Ridge-Bensonhurst and Coney Island sections of Kings County being his primary stomping grounds.

In later years, he started spending months at a time down in the warmer sunshine state of Florida, but Frank continued to fly back and forth up to New York City periodically as required.

Frank (The Wop) Gagliardi

NYCPD #B-132909, FBI #901051

In his early years, he listed his employment as an ice dealer per a 1930 NYC census report. At the time, this was an industry rife with underworld infiltration and rival warfare.

Criminal Associates and Activities

During the 1963 United States Senate Hearings that featured the testimony of informer Joseph Valachi, Gagliardi was identified as an inducted "soldier" in the Carlo Gambino Family of Brooklyn.

He was later further identified as a disciple of capodecina Ettore (Terry) Zappi, serving as a member of Zappi’s "crew."

Ettore (Terry) Zappi

He numbered many top Cosa Nostra figures among his closest associates.

Over the years, local and federal law enforcement documented his close association and friendships with Carlo Gambino, Peter (Petey Pumps) Ferrara, Frank (Frankie Dap) Dapolito , Natale (Big Chris) Richichi, Paul (Big Paul) Castellano, Joseph (Joe Piney) Armone, Ettore and his son Anthony (Tony) Zappi, Frank (Frankie Martin) Barranca, Salvatore (Sally Westo) Imperiale, Enrico (Harry) Fontana , Thomas (Tommy the Enforcer) Altamura, Joseph (Joe Scootch) Indelicato, Agostino (Augie) Amato, and Frank (Crazy Frankie) Amato.

Gagliardi was known to engage in a wide variety of criminality ranging from bootlegging, gambling, shylocking, strong-arm enforcer, extortion, waterfront piers thefts, truck hijacking, and fencing stolen cargo, and other such mob mayhem.

He was known to confine his activities mostly to Kings County, but by the late 1960s, Gagliardi was documented by the FBI as starting to regularly travel down to South Florida for both pleasure and underworld business.

Criminal Record

His criminal record dates to at least 1923. Over the years, he accumulated a "yellow jacket" of five serious arrests for the following charges:

1923 - burglary (suspended sentence)

1935 - homicide by gun

1945 - gambling (New Jersey)

1946 - conspiracy to steal from a foreign shipment (3 years in federal prison. This jail term was later run concurrently with his 1947 theft case.)

1947 - theft from interstate shipment, conspiracy (6 years in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, followed by 5 years probation.)

Although not convicted of it, as reflected by his record, he had been charged with murder back in the 1930s when he was first "cutting his teeth" in the mob. Over the years, Frankie the Wop was suspected in several other gangland killings as well.

The Tampa Investment Syndicate

In 1973, underworld informants close to Tampa-based Mafia boss Santo Trafficante were reporting to their FBI handlers that Gagliardi had personally contacted Trafficante regarding the possibility of forming an investment syndicate to finance, develop, and build condominium complexes in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area of the state.

At that point in time, Gagliardi was already in the construction business in Dade County and was enmeshed in building condominiums in the Miami Beach area.

Trafficante was reported to have turned down the offer because he felt that having additional out-of-town Cosa Nostra figures visiting and operating in the Tampa area would bring too much law enforcement "heat" to an area already under intense scrutiny.

But the very fact that a mere soldier such as Gagliardi was afforded the "respect" to interact directly with a Family boss like Trafficante spoke volumes about Gagliardi’s standing in the underworld.

I am sure that he reached out to the Tampa boss with the blessing and at the direction of Zappi and boss Carlo Gambino himself.

No Wallflower

For the most part during his extensive underworld career, “Frankie the Wop” kept a pretty low profile. He was not one to generally strut his stuff and throw his weight around town drawing the attention of police. But he was no wallflower either.

In his younger years, Gagliardi was knee-deep in the Brooklyn rackets, and his known arrests were for serious offenses.

A good example of this was what took place on January 23, 1947. On that date, he and 20 of his underworld associates were arrested in a sweep by the FBI for what officials later described as a brazen truck hijacking ring that stole over $500,000 in merchandise in interstate commerce.

Back in the 1940s, a half-million-dollars was the equivalent of over $10,000,000 in goods today.

At a press conference, authorities said the gang applied "big business" methods to steal more than 30 truckloads of scarce goods worth over one-half-million dollars in one 12-month period alone. The 21 suspects were picked up by agents who fanned out across New York City and the Miami Beach area.

Five men were described as leaders of the theft network. They were held on a whopping $50,000 bail each - a huge sum for that era.

Officials said the stolen loads included such highly desired and versatile items as electrical appliances and supplies, men's and women’s garments, women’s handbags, cotton and piece goods, rugs, leather products, musical instruments, and cosmetics. This was during WWII and many of these items were scarce being that they were under ration by the federal government and hard to get.

Named as the overall kingpin of the operation was a 34- year-old Profaci Family soldier named Salvatore (Sally Westo) Imperiale.

Salvatore (Westo) Imperiale

The FBI described him as a full-time hijacker and cargo thief. Known as the “Westo Gang,” the feds said that Imperiale worked in league with two other close associates as co-leaders of the hijack mob. They were identified as 36-year-old Romeo (The Judge) Garafola and 39-year-old Frank (The Wop) Gagliardi.

John C. Hilly, who was the Assistant U.S. Attorney in charge of the case, stated in open court that Imperiale and Gagliardi were "notorious Brooklyn hoodlums who would stop at nothing.”

He added that "they would not hesitate to commit murder to defeat the ends of justice. In fact, they may be involved in several unsolved murders.”

Foolish Words

For his part, outside the courtroom after his arrest, Gagliardi foolishly said he would “take care of those who had testified before the grand jury.”

Another suspect who was picked up in Miami by agents was identified as Sam Freidman, who the FBI said was an official of two New Jersey-based shoe companies, the Robeling Shoe Company and Fibre Sole and Shoe Company. Both were located in Paterson, N.J. Friedman was suspected of fingering shoe loads for theft.

Authorities described the gang’s operation this way: Imperiale was usually driven around the metropolitan area by one of his subordinates daily. When he spotted a truck cargo he liked, he’d then assign one of his truck hijacking specialists to case the company and the truckload over a period of days.

“Specialists” were described as hoodlums who were experts at starting a truck motor without a key by crossing ignition wires and other men who could enter a warehouse or truck garage through a skylight without breaking the glass.

These men in turn were succeeded by skilled drivers who then took the trucks to two ‘drops’ in Brooklyn where the stolen merchandise was then unloaded. The empty trucks were then driven away and usually abandoned in the Coney Island section.

Complex Operations

The gang’s operations were so complex and the duties of individual gang members so specialized and compartmentalized that some members were able to ‘double-cross’ their confederates.

As an example of this, authorities said that on one occasion one robbery crew reported to other crew members that they had been forced to abandon a stolen truck because police were watching them when actually the men had taken the truck to another cargo ‘drop’ and later divided the stolen loot amongst themselves.

Other hoodlum hijackers picked up included Carl J. Gagliardi (possibly a brother or cousin to Frank), John Santaniello, William Romer, Ernest Oliva, Frank Oliva, Pasquale DiPinto, Benedict Miller, Armand Palmenta, Pasquale (Patty) Strazza, Reginald Steele, Vito Cordo, Joseph J. Guttilla, Milton Barrett, Harry A. Friedman, Salvatore Gesoalde, Carmine Marrone, Dominick (Nicky) Marrone, and Thomas Corcione.

Some truck hijacking ring suspects

Fun in the Sun

In his later years, Frank started spending more and more time in South Florida. By that time, his capo-regime Terry Zappi had also permanently relocated down to the Fort Lauderdale area where he had always kept a winter home.

Gagliardi joined his mob superior and was widely known to have become his right-hand man in the Sunshine State. They were among a small contingent of elderly veteran Gambino members to do the same.

The FBI documented Gagliardi's involvement from time to time in various mob business meetings and sit-downs held around the Miami and Fort Lauderdale area.

The famous Bobby Rubino’s Place for Ribs restaurant chain was partially owned by Zappi. He allegedly maintained a hidden interest in it, putting his grandson Frank in charge as a manager. Zappi and Gagliardi often utilized Rubino’s Fort Lauderdale location. They were later documented by the FBI as "holding court" and conducting "meets" with other known mobsters there.

The Membership Books Open

After the membership ‘books’ opened up in 1976, future informant Sammy Gravano revealed to his FBI handlers during his debriefings that he had been among the first 10 new recruits of the Gambino Family to be formally inducted into that borgata. He told the FBI that the secret ceremony for this had taken place in the basement of Frank Gagliardi’s Bensonhurst, Brooklyn residence.

So, it seems that although by that point in time he was semi-retired in Florida, Gagliardi was still knee-deep in Cosa Nostra business. So much so, that his personal home had been chosen by then-boss Paul Castellano for the first "making" ceremony.

Frankie the Wop was almost 71 years old and was still obviously highly respected and very well thought of. Francesco Sebastiano Gagliardi passed away a few years later in 1982 at the age of 77-years old.

Aside from that one single prison "bid" he did in the late 1940s-early 1950s for truck hijacking, Frank the Wop seems to have led a pretty charmed life as a mafioso.

Until next time…”The Other Guy”

Frank (Frankie the Wop) Gagliardi – Low-Key but No Wallflower

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Frank (Frankie the Wop) Gagliardi – Low-Key but No Wallflower

Unlock This Door to the Underworld

Take the Journey!

You May Also Enjoy

The Anthony Strollo Regime of NY/NJ

The Day Charlie (the Bug) Workman Saved a Horse

Racketeer Profile – San Francisco’s “Jimmy the Hat” Lanza

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