For decades, Frank Sindone ruled the loansharking racket for the Philadelphia Family of Cosa Nostra. He had a vicious reputation and took his job very seriously. But despite his nasty business demeanor and very lengthy police record, it seems that Frank the Barracuda knew early on that “the life” he was living was not the kind of life he really wanted to live. Unfortunately, his lofty dreams of retirement came to an abrupt end during his borgata’s bloody battle for control in the early 1980s.
Frank (the Barracuda) Sindone – aka Barracuda Frank, Frank Sindoni, and Frank Gaetano Sindone (TN) – was born on December 30, 1927, in Philadelphia, PA, to Guiseppe and Domenica (nee’ Giordano) Sindone. Both his parents were born in Italy.
After immigrating to the United States, they made their way to Pennsylvania, settling in Philadelphia. This is where Giuseppe and Domenica (who went by “Minnie”) would raise their large family of eight children, two boys and six girls. When Frank was 19 years old, his father died of cancer. Giuseppe was only 56 at the time of his death.
Frank and his siblings attended South Philadelphia’s public school system, but he dropped out of school when he was in the eighth grade. He would also remain a confirmed bachelor his entire life, although some sources believe that he may have been married at one point.
Sindone reportedly dated different women on occasion, but he never had one true love or was even interested in keeping a steady girlfriend or companion.
He was a local boy who, even as an adult, always resided in the South Philadelphia area. At one point, he resided at 736 Christian Street. As he better established himself in the underworld and started making money, Sindone bought an expensive row house at 1811 Schley Street in the Packer Park section of South Philly.
Frank was known to be extremely meticulous and kept his home well-maintained, reportedly having it repainted every few years, both inside and out. This fits with how federal authorities once described him – a “fastidious man who never had a single hair out of place.”
In 1962, FBI informants reported that Sindone hung around daily at the corner of 8th and Christian Streets and frequently visited Penn Jersey Vending and Marie’s Luncheonette, which was located at 827 Christian Street.
Frank’s Cabana Steaks
Around 1971, Sindone became the owner of Frank’s Cabana Steaks, located at 10th and Moyamensing Streets in South Philly. He owned this shop for almost a decade, and the FBI believed it served as a hub for local organized crime activities.
In the late 1970s, after years of physical and electronic surveillance, federal agents finally decided to stage a raid on the place. But despite its name, the raiding party didn’t find any steaks or even a single piece of beef. All police found in the shop’s refrigerator was one measly hard-boiled egg and a bottle of Pepsi. So much for Frank’s Cabana Steak Shop!
Side Note: Some interesting underworld tidbits were picked up on an electronic “bug” that had been installed inside Frank’s Cabana Steaks back in 1976. FBI agents recorded Sindone stating emphatically to those present that he had no intentions, nor the desire, to ever succeed Angelo Bruno as head of the Philadelphia Family. Frank’s comments came at a time when the so-called “Young Turks” faction of the Bruno Family was grumbling and voicing their displeasure and dissatisfaction with the way Bruno was running the borgata because they believed he was “too old-fashioned.”
The “bug” also recorded Sindone telling his associates how he wanted to retire and purchase a ranch. “This business is going to make me steal for the rest of my life,” he said. “(But) I’ll get out of there one day. You watch, I’ll get the fuck out.”
