Frank Abbandando Jr.

Francesco "Fingers" Abbundando, Jr. (October 17, 1935 - December 22, 1995) was a New York Gambino crime family associate who was the son of Murder, Inc. hitman Frank Abbandando.

Early years

Frank Jr. was born in Ocean Hill, Brooklyn to Frank Abbandando and his girlfriend/common law wife, Connie out of a wedlock marriage. Connie was an Ocean Hill native who operated a beauty salon in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. While dating Frank Senior in the 1940s, Connie was also having an affair with Chippy Weiner, a burglar and stolen goods dealer from Brooklyn. One day in 1948, Weiner received a phone call from his Manhattan apartment. When he went outside a few minutes later, Weiner was gunned down by unknown assailants. He grew up knowing such notorious counterparts of Murder Inc. like Harry Maione and Abe Reles.

Frank Jr. was a 5'5", husky man described as handsome by Joseph Iannuzzi. Frank Jr. was the younger brother of mob associate and "button man", Lawrence Abbandando.

Mob life

In the 1970s, Frank Jr. left New York City for Miami, Florida. Once in Florida, he worked as a loan shark, drug trafficker and gambler; he also gained a reputation as an enforcer for extortionists, loan sharks and bookmakers. Frank Jr. did not belong to any of the five New York crime families, but frequently worked for the Lucchese crime family, the Gambino crime family, and the Colombo crime family, all of whom had operations around Miami, Florida. Frank Jr. was a known associate of Bonanno crime family capo Gerald Francis Chilli who was later arrested on federal racketeering charges. In the 1985 when Frank Jr. was indicted for racketeering with Thomas Agro and Joseph Armone, he was working under the Gambino caporegime Andrew Ruggiero.

Earning His Nickname

Sometime in the 1970s in New York City, Frank Jr. made the mistake of offending an unknown capo (or captain) in the Colombo crime family in Little Italy, Manhattan. During a verbal argument, Abbandando Jr. had flipped the capo "the bird", or the middle finger. After the argument, the enraged Colombo crime family capo ordered the removal of Abbandando Jr.'s finger with a dull knife. The finger was removed while Abbandando was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, stored in a bottle of vinegar, and sent back to the Colombo family in Little Italy, Manhattan.

Relationship with Aniello Napolitano

Frank Jr. later met Aniello Napolitano, a small-time narcotics dealer in Florida who was well known by the Miami-Dade Police Department. Napolitano had hopes of being introduced into the floundering Florida La Cosa Nostra family as an associate. The two immediately sparked a friendship.

Soon, law enforcement was watching both Frank Jr. and Napolitano. Undercover surveillance teams observed the two mobsters in clubs such as "Party Girls", a nude bar located at 11340 Biscayne Boulevard in Dade County. After further investigation, police became convinced that Napolitano was dealing illegal] steroids. They also suspected him in the murder of two drug traffickers who were arrested with Napolitano for dealing narcotics and then vanished. A female police officer was assigned to go undercover as a stripper, but was allegedly seduced by Napolitano's charm and took him to her office in the police department.

Shortly after the failed police investigation, Aniello Napolitano was murdered. In September 1996, parts of his body washed ashore on Miami Beach. According to police, they did not think Frank Jr. killed Napolitano or ordered the hit, although he was certainly capable of either one.

Hit and run

On December 22, 1995, 60-year old Frank Abbandando Jr. was run over on Biscayne Boulevard by Rocco Napolitano, Napolitano's brother. Dressed in a black track suit and balaclava, Rocco exited the car and shot Abbandando several times. When the police arrested Rocco, he told them, "I'm the one that shot him" and that it was for revenge. Rocco was sentenced to life in prison for Frank Jr.'s murder. Frank Jr. was buried in Ocean Hill, Brooklyn.

References

* "East End Gangland & Gangland International Omnibus" by James Morton
* "Joe Dogs: The Life and Crimes of A Mobster" by Joseph "Joe Dogs" Ianuzzi Simon & Schuster (June 1993) ISBN 978-0671797522
* "Murder Inc. The Story of The Syndicate" by Burton B. Turkus and Sid Feder