Big Frank

Francis Guerra, a Colombo Associate, received 14 years after being acquitted by a jury for murder.   Francis, also known as BF or Big Frank, received his nickname when he was he was young in Brooklyn hanging out with Teddy Persico Jr, as he was always taller than the rest of the kids.

Big Frank's story is not the same as the rest of these guys. Big Frank was a good kid who did things right until he was riding his motorcycle on 13th Ave in Brooklyn and was hit by driver.  He was close to death, and a Medic who lived right by the accident performed an emergency tracheotomy on Big Frank.  

It took a long time to recover, and Big Frank fell into debt because he could work.

Big Frank’s buddy Teddy Persico Jr started working for a trucking company. Teddy was a good truck driver and a great mechanic.  I used to see him working on trucks at the Big R truck lot and, unlike other Colombo “employees” he was actually working.  The owner at the trucking company wanted to impress Teddy because his last name was Persico, so he turned him onto a kilo of cocaine.  That was when everyone in their crews’ life changed, for the worse.  That kilo started Teddy’s foray into the drug trade, and that path is what caused Teddy 17 years of grief, Frank Smith over 15 years locked away, and it would also come back to bite Big Frank.

Teddy felt bad for Big Frank so he put him on the payroll for $500 a week. Frank was the guy who would take care of the drug orders, he was the go between.  This would later cause a lot of problems because one of the guys in the crew would tell an agent that “Frank” was the guy who was bringing the cocaine.  He was in the car with an informant telling him that agents were following him all day. So when they were busted Frank Smith was the one taken down for the drugs instead of Big Frank.  They let Frank Smith stay locked up while Big Frank was a free man, and now Big Frank had to pay Teddy $500 a week.  

Teddy went down hard for his drug business and he got some major time.  He missed the start of the war in the Colombo Family but Big Frank was around and at the start he didn't have a gun.  Someone from another family gave him one because he wanted it for protection.  

Teddy's Grandmother passed away and he was granted a furlough from prison.  He was accompanied by 3 prison guards.  He was at her wake when he gave the order that Joe Scopo had to go.  He was very pissed about guys trying to kill his father and he wanted his guys to take care of the hit.  Two weeks later Joe Scopo was killed in front of his house by two men.  A Colombo turncoat told the FBI that Big Frank was driving the crash car during the hit.  Frank had supposedly gone on another hit because a man named Michael Devine had dared to date Allie Boy’s estranged wife.

Big Frank had a great run as an associate of the Colombo Family.  He was close to Allie Boy and his brother Michael.  Michael Persico was the crown prince of the Persico family.  He was educated, clean and appeared crime-family free, but that was a lie because he was actually the conduit to his father, the long time boss of the Colombo Family.

Carmine gave the orders and Michael brought them back to his brothers, cousins, uncles.  Big Frank was one of those guys who got orders from Michael.  He helped Michael out with his Shylock business.  Michael was not a made guy, but being the bosses son he had the clout.  They would all be taken down because I wore a wire on Steve Marcus and the rest of them at Big R trucking.  The FBI used my wire information to go up on phones and to turn Steve Marcus who then wore a wire.  

Teddy Persico, Michael Persico, Big Frank and Eddie Garafalo were all taken down in the same case.  Only Big Frank chose to take it to the jury.  The jury did not buy the Government or their informants, so they acquitted him on the murder charges but convicted him on selling his prescription Oxycontin.  

The judge felt that the Government had shown Big Frank was guilty so he handed him down a 14 year sentence and he is now inmate 10636-051.  

I dislike what these men stand for, but I feel the Government is going to far when they hand out huge sentences even when they don't make a case.  It happened in Las Vegas to Steve Cino, a made guy in the Milano Crime family.  The Government made a fake case that he was involved in the murder of Fat Herbie Blitzstien, which the jury did not buy.  He and the others would still get time.  RICO is one way the Government gets a second and third chance to put guys away for crimes they already did time for in the past.