Frank Tieri
Frank Tieri (born February 22, 1904 in Naples , † March 31, 1981 in New York City ) was a high-ranking member of the American La Cosa Nostra and head of the Genovese family . His nickname was "Funzi" or "The Old Man" . Tieri was the first mafia boss to be indicted in a U.S. court under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO Acts).
Life
In 1911 he immigrated from Naples to the USA and lived as a foreigner ( resident alien ) in Brooklyn ; at the age of twenty he was involved in an armed robbery .
In contrast to John Gotti , for example , Tieri did not show any attention to himself and lived in an inconspicuous house in Brooklyn.
In 1972, at the age of 67, he became the head of the "Genovese family" after his predecessor Thomas Eboli had been murdered. This murder was presumably ordered by Carlo Gambino , who, due to a dispute, preferred to see Tieri at the head of the Genovese clan.
Conversely, Tieri was suspected of having ordered the 1980 assassination of Angelo Bruno , then head of the "Philly Mob", so that control over Atlantic City could be obtained with allies from the Gambino family . Presumably Tieri Bruno's former Consiglieri Antonio Caponigro allowed the assassination attempt on Angelo Bruno, only to later vehemently deny this before the Mafia Commission when Caponigro had to justify himself for the unauthorized murder. As a punishment, Caponigro and his brother-in-law Alfred Salerno were murdered by Genovese members (the crew around Vincent Gigante probably received this order) and Philip Testa became the new boss of Philadelphia, sanctioned by the commission .
Tieri disguised himself as an employee of a sewing shop for sportswear, but as the leader of the Genovese family , he led a large criminal empire whose illegal businesses ranged from extortion , illegal gambling, fraud , drug trafficking to murder.
On November 21, 1980, Tieri was the first mafia boss to appear in court under the RICO Act and was sentenced to ten years in prison on January 23, 1981. The 76-year-old did not have to serve because he was seriously ill and died on March 31, 1981 in Mount Sinai Hospital (New York) .
Tieri is regarded as one of the models for the character of Don Vito Corleone in the novel The Godfather by Mario Puzo .
Web links
- Frank Tieri in the database of Find a Grave (English)
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Eboli | Head of the " Genovese crime family " of La Cosa Nostra 1972 - 1981 |
Philip Lombardo |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Tieri, Frank |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Funzi; The Old Man |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American mobster |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 22, 1904 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Naples , Italy |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 31, 1981 |
| Place of death | New York City , New York , United States |