This audio episode explores Frank DeSimone of Los Angeles in the one-man, flowing style typical of the show. The first half gives context and background on who Frank DeSimone was, including his roots, controversial term as boss, and issues with Joe Bonanno, but the second half deals with a lesser-known revelation: his relatives were murdered in an apparent mafia conflict in their Sicilian hometown of Salaparuta in the years before DeSimone became boss. Frank took interest in this mysterious set of murders and the wider American mafia checked in on it as well — as a formality at least.
The wider clan the DeSimones were part of produced leaders in Dallas along with Los Angeles and the Desimones themselves passed through New Orleans and Colorado before settling in California. Frank's father Rosario left Salaparuta much earlier, but the FBI's investigation into Frank revealed that the DeSimone clan remained relevant in Trapani mafia circles even decades later. The clan's relevance in Sicily apparently took a hit shortly before the 1950s, though the details are thin, as is the ultimate outcome. The story nonetheless adds a new dimension to Frank DeSimone's story.
DeSimone Deaths in Salaparuta?