22 Facts About Frank Bompensiero

Frank "Bomp" Bompensiero was a Sicilian-American mobster who was a longtime caporegime in the Los Angeles crime family.

Frank Bompensiero was the older brother of associate Salvatore "Sam" Bompensiero.

Frank Bompensiero's family immigrated to the United States in 1904 along with the Balistrieri family.

Frank Bompensiero moved to San Diego as a young man in the mid-1920s.

Frank Bompensiero was then involved in bootlegging operations in San Diego during Prohibition.

Frank Bompensiero was later convicted of a liquor violation in San Diego.

Frank Bompensiero eventually served a year in McNeil Island Corrections Center for the liquor conviction and was released in 1933.

Frank Bompensiero owned the Gold Rail cafe in downtown at the US Grant Hotel, a successful business that he owned with Tom Dragna's son Frank and nephew Louis.

Frank Bompensiero was involved in one of the attempts on Mickey Cohen's life at Cohen's business office on the Sunset Strip, and killed Cohen torpedo Neddie Herbert.

Frank Bompensiero was escorted from prison by the police so he could attend her funeral.

Frank Bompensiero was later transferred to San Quentin State Prison in Northern California, the same prison where Jimmy Fratianno was serving a prison sentence for extortion.

Outraged, Frank Bompensiero later attempted to transfer to the Chicago Outfit, but was unsuccessful.

Soon Frank Bompensiero had numerous new dealings in Las Vegas with Cleveland mobster and casino owner Moe Dalitz and Chicago Outfit mobster Anthony Spilotro.

Frank Bompensiero counted retired Bonanno crime family boss Joseph Bonanno in Arizona, and John Roselli as allies; later over a hit dispute, he had a falling out with Roselli.

In 1967, Frank Bompensiero was arrested with Fratianno over a Fratianno Trucking Company dirt hauling union scheme where Jimmy's company had violated PUC regulations.

Under intense pressure, with he and Fratianno in the El Centro jail, unable to make a high bail, Frank Bompensiero agreed to become an undercover FBI informant, and the charges against him were eventually dropped.

In November 1975, acting as driver, Frank Bompensiero helped Spilotro murder Tamara Rand, a multi millionaire real estate broker and investor from San Diego.

Since the death of Los Angeles boss Jack Dragna, Frank Bompensiero had been highly critical of the new family leadership.

Boss Dominic Brooklier, who never trusted Frank Bompensiero, finally lost patience and decided to have him killed.

Frank Bompensiero was an extremely cautious gangster and proved difficult to kill.

In 1977, the FBI set up a pornography sting business called "Forex" and used Frank Bompensiero to convince the Los Angeles family to make an attempt to extort money from Forex.

Unsatisfied with Frank Bompensiero's cagey responses, Fratianno became convinced that Frank Bompensiero was an informant.