Frankie Yale – The lesser known Mafia boss
Although the Prohibition era saw the rise of several popular mob bosses such as Johnny Torrio, Joe Masseria and Al Capone, there are also few bosses, who were less remembered, but did play an important role during this time. One of them was considered to be a murderous, ruthless leader called Frankie Yale, who is known to have straddled two underworlds.
His early life
Frankie Yale’s actual name was Francesco Iole. He was also called as Frankie Uale. It was on 22nd January 1893 that he was born in Italy’s Longobucco province and in 1901 had immigrated to New York City, United States.
His entering the Mafia world
He is said to have introduced to the world of organized crime at a very early age. John Torrio or Papa Johnny as he is well known among the mafia circles was Frankie’s future mentor and had him admitted to Lower Manhattan’s powerful street gang known as Five Points Gang.
Yale earned the reputation for being a petty thief and street fighter from his early age and bold enough not to shy from violence. He was arrested in 1912 on being suspected for murder. In 1919, Torrio had for Chicago, but imparted the ways to crime to Yale to follow. Very soon Yale had got involved in infiltrating, dominating Brooklyn’s ice delivery trade and in racketeering. The money that came by was used for purchasing a bar at Coney Island, and called it the Harvard Inn. It is here that he befriended Al Capone, working as a bouncer. It is at this Inn that Capone was hit and had marks on his face, earning him the name ‘Scarface’.
His criminal activities
Yale was also involved in Black Hand extortion during the early part of the 20th century, where citizens were sent threatening letters to pay up money or be harmed. He also ran labor racketeering and brothels. He ran funeral home and sold cigars as a front.
It was the introduction of Prohibition that prompted him to get into the boozing industry. Apart from being a criminal, he also had soft spot, helping those who were needy. At the same time, he killed people without any remorse, if required. He was also responsible for several high profile murders. It was he along with other members who had shot Dean O’Banion, Al Capone’s rival gang boss.
He was always targeted by his enemies like the Irish-American mobsters and White Hand Gang. On 1st July 1928 a strange phone call about his wife having problem at home, led him to be ambushed by armed men, killing Yale on the spot. He had a lavish funeral in mob history.