Frank James Burke (Cypress Hills, Brooklyn 1956 - May 18, 1987 Queens, New York) was the son of mobster Jimmy Burke and his mother "Mickey". Like his father, he was a career criminal and a suspect in the famous Lufthansa heist. He was the older brother of Jesse James born c.a. 1960 and Catherine (??), who would later be wed to the mobster Anthony Indelicato in 1992 and as of 2006 are still living together in Howard Beach, Queens, New York. 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Queens is geographically the largest of the five boroughs of New York City in the United States, and the most ethnically diverse county in the U.S. It is coterminous with Queens County in the State of New York and is located on western Long Island. ... FBI mugshot of James Jimmy the Gent Burke taken on April 12, 1979 not long after the Lufthansa heist. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Anthony Indelicato ca. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Howard Beach is a neighborhood in the southwestern portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. ... NY redirects here. ...

Early life

Francis James was the first of three children by Jimmy Burke a.k.a. Jimmy Conway and "Mickey". He closely resembled his father in looks and physical appearance which is not to flattering as his father is described of being tall with well-developed arms and a broken nose. His father named him after the famous American outlaw Frank James. As a child his father would tell Francis "Frank" James stories of favorite mob hits and other criminal exploits. Karen Hill, the wife of Henry Hill remembers about Burke's children that they always seemed to have a "dirty" and disheveled appearance about them, even after Frank James and his brother were bathed. He was truant in school and constantly having infractions with the police. He was said to have a striking resemblance to his father, Jimmy, tall and well built. Francis was a close friend of Henry and Karen Hill's daughters who dated on occasion in their adolescence. Jimmy would take Frank and his brother on vacations to the Caribbean and the Bahamas when school was out. He was an avid movie watcher who idolized Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson and Alan Ladd while growing up. Jimmy Burke may refer to: Jimmy Burke (gangster) — Irish American gangster Jimmy Burke (baseball) — American baseball player Jim Burke James Burke Category: ... For other senses of this word, see outlaw (disambiguation). ... Alexander Franklin James (January 10, 1843 – February 18, 1915) was an American outlaw and older brother of Jesse James. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Henry Hill (mobster). ... Henry Hill (born June 11, 1943) is a famous former FBI informant whose life was immortalized in the book Wiseguy by crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi. ... Adolescence (Latin adolescentia, from adolescere, to grow up) is the period of psychological, social, and physical transition between childhood and adulthood (gender-specific, manhood or womanhood). ... West Indian redirects here. ... Humphrey DeForest Bogart (December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957) was an iconic American actor of legendary fame who retained his legacy after death. ... James Francis Cagney, Jr. ... Edward Goldenberg Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg, Yiddish: עמנואל גולדנברג; December 12, 1893 – January 26, 1973) was an American stage and film actor of Romanian origin. ... Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – November 7, 1964) was an American film actor. ...

Jimmy Burke used to complain that Frank wet his bed all the time and that he had to "beat the shit out of him" almost every night. Jimmy had Frank sent to a private military school in Upstate New York to "toughen him up" but this attempt failed and his father still wasn't happy with him. The areas highlighted in YELLOW and GREEN are those which are considered to be a bona fide part of Upstate New York from the perspective of New York City. ...

Entry into organized crime

In adulthood, Frank James was a well known heroin addict in mob circles and had been arrested several times for possession of the drug. He spent time at his father's clubs, Robert's Lounge and The Suite which was a hangout for hijackers, burglars, thieves and scam artists. Heroin ((INN) Diacetylmorphine , (BAN) diamorphine) is a semi-synthetic opioid. ... The Suite was a middle-class detached two-story nightclub on Queens Boulevard, on the border of Queens, New York near Forest Hills, Queens owned by Henry Hill and Paul Vario from 1966 to 1972. ...

One of his father's proteges, Tommy DeSimone, took Frank out on his first "hit" or contract killing in 1976 or 1977. The target of Frank James's murder is unknown. Tommy DeSimone reportedly told his father and his criminal associates, that Burke had "held up good." This gave Frank James respect among the Italian wiseguys and made his father very proud. However, his criminal associates never made him a full-fledged member because of his Irish heritage. Frank was said by police at the time of his death to have been a Gambino crime family associate. Thomas Tommy DeSimone (c1950 - 1979) was a New York gangster and an associate of the Luchesse Mafia Family. ... Hitman redirects here. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... First season cast of Wiseguy Wiseguy (1987-1990) was a U.S. television program about Vincent Vinnie Terranova, an undercover agent of the OCB (Organized Crime Bureau), a fictional division of the FBI. Produced by Stephen J. Cannell, the show differed from previous crime dramas in its use of story... John Gotti, The Dapper Don The Gambino Crime Family is one of the Five Families that controls organized crime activities based in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or La Cosa Nostra). ...

It is also suspected by Henry Hill that Jimmy Burke used Frank (then aged eighteen) as a stickup man in the Lufthansa heist. The police later named him as one of the top suspects but was eventually ignored. The constant verbal and physical abuse from his father was seen as a way to maybe have him become an informant. These attempts were unsuccessful. Henry Hill (born June 11, 1943) is a famous former FBI informant whose life was immortalized in the book Wiseguy by crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi. ...

Death

Frank James Burke was found by the NYPD, shot to death on Liberty Avenue in the Cypress Hills section of Brooklyn, New York at 2:30 AM on May 18, 1987. He was twenty-seven. Burke's death was the culmination of the suspect murders following the Lufthansa heist following Angelo John Sepe. The three remaining witnesses or participants were his father, Jimmy Burke, Henry Hill and Paul Vario. This is excluding Lufthansa Air employees Louis Werner and Peter Gruenwald. On May 10, 1987 police arrested a 46-year old convicted drug dealer for his murder. Frank's death is not suspected to be in relation to the Lufthansa heist, but related to his own heroin addiction. There is no record of any remorse or grief from Jimmy Burke about the death of his son who was incarcerated. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) , the largest police department in the United States, has primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. ... The Cypress Hills are a region of hills in southwestern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta, Canada. ... For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ... May 18 is the 138th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (139th in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Jimmy Burke may refer to: Jimmy Burke (gangster) — Irish American gangster Jimmy Burke (baseball) — American baseball player Jim Burke James Burke Category: ... Henry Hill (born June 11, 1943) is a famous former FBI informant whose life was immortalized in the book Wiseguy by crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi. ... A law enforcement mugshot which dates from the 1970s Paul Vario (July 9, 1914 - November 22, 1988) was a member of the U.S. Mafia and a Caporegime in the Lucchese Family. ... May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (131st in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... These lollipops, above, were found to contain heroin when inspected by the US Drug Enforcement Administration In jurisdictions where legislation restricts or prohibits the sale of certain popular drugs, it is common for an illegal drugs trade to develop. ...

Exclusion from Goodfellas

During the production of Goodfellas, the sister of Frank James, threatened to attempt to force the production company to pay $100,000 for the use of the name Burke, so they used Conway, which was her father's birth name instead. Catherine is suspected of being the one who saw that her late brother, Francis James was excluded entirely from the film. However, this may also be a decision made by director Martin Scorsese. Goodfellas (also spelled GoodFellas) is a 1990 film directed by Martin Scorsese, based on the book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, the true story of mob informer Henry Hill. ... Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese (IPA: AmE: ; Ita: []) (born November 17, 1942) is an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Directors Guild of America award winner and critically acclaimed American film director. ...

References

• Pileggi, Nicholas. Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1985. ISBN 0671723227