By all accounts and observations, Frank Fusco was an extremely low-key mafioso who was of the old school as far as ostentatious shows of wealth and assets went. His general lifestyle was that of a typical blue-collar, old Italian man who lived very moderately and inexpensively.
He always drove a late-model car, but it was typically a small or medium-sized and mid-priced car such as a Chevy Impala, compact Volkswagen, or Opal. For instance, in 1970 he was observed driving a 1970 Ford Maverick, a far cry from his Cadillac-driving contemporaries.
He never wore expensive clothes or jewelry and was never known to throw around lots of cash. As far as his finances went, as could be ascertained from multiple investigations by the FBI, IRS, and local NYCPD Intelligence Bureau, Fusco was a “small businessman” who listed employment over the years as the operator of a small candy store or the apparel business.
Another tremendous benefit to Fusco was the fact that after an intense investigation by the FBI throughout the 1960s, they decided to put him (and his anti-racketeering file) into their “inactive status” which meant that they would no longer continue surveillance on him or actively seek his indictment.
This came about because they determined that although he was indeed strongly suspected of being a longtime inducted member of the Profaci/Colombo Family, and a “capo di decina” at that, his criminal activities, for the most part, were local gambling rackets. The most important and relevant part of that last sentence being “local,” which meant that Fusco’s operation was strictly conducted within Brooklyn, or at least within the confines of the New York City area, and did not cross state lines.
Often Imitated. Never Duplicated. Button Guys of The New York Mafia...There's Only One!
