Introduction
There is a widely circulated story of Los Angeles La Cosa Nostra (LCN) boss Frank DeSimone apparently sexually assaulting the wife of Girolamo “Momo” Adamo, Jack Dragna’s long-time underboss. This is not an accurate story and misrepresents real events in order to form a more sinister narrative.
Origin of the Myth & Mafia Politics
It appears that the story originates from Ed Reid’s The Grim Reapers, published in 1969. According to an unnamed police informant, DeSimone assaulted Marie Adamo as a display of power, “undertaken to show Adamo who was boss.” [1]
What is to be noted is the time period – Girolamo Adamo committed his partly successful murder-suicide in June of 1956. [2] Jack Dragna, who had led the Southern California family for decades, had died on February 23rd, 1956 and was succeeded by attorney Frank DeSimone, who emerged as the mob’s new leader. [3]
Per Aladena James “Jimmy the Weasel” Fratianno’s book, The Last Mafioso, DeSimone had rigged the election held after Dragna’s death in his favor. [4] This ensured that Dragna confidant John Roselli, a candidate not only liked by both Fratianno and Frank Bompensiero but who was also deemed the “logical” choice for boss, transferred to the Chicago family [5] while DeSimone allies like Nicolo Licata, Simone Scozzari and Salvatore “Charles” Dippolito gained more power within the organization as the Dragna regime faded. [6]
Gaetano “Tom” Dragna along with his son, Louis Tom “Louie”, were put on “trial” by members of the Los Angeles family (also known as a brugad or borgata) following Jack Dragna’s death, as they felt that he was using his influence as family consigliere to elevate his son’s standing within LCN. Louie Dragna in their eyes, was “unproven” and as a result, he was resented by the family at large. They were saved through the intervention of Thomas Lucchese, Tom retiring to Las Vegas and Louie being assigned to caporegime Joseph “Joe Dip” Dippolito, who was newly appointed consigliere Salvatore Dippolito’s son. [7]
It is unclear where Momo Adamo fell in with all this but it appears that he was demoted, not only as a result of the power shift but also because of his alcoholism. He was replaced as underboss by Simone “Sam” Scozzari, who attended the Appalachian summit with DeSimone in 1957. [8]
Marie Adamo & the Affair
Marie Adamo was interviewed by law enforcement (under Mrs. Patrick E. Gavin) and relayed information about her marriage to Girolamo Adamo. The former Mrs. Adamo described her martial life with Momo as a “typical” Italian marriage where the wife took care of “the housework, the cooking and the children” but had no influence over the husband and his dealings.
She also told the FBI that Momo Adamo was physically abusive, having assaulted her on several occasions when she asked about his friends and business dealings. At one point, her nose was broken in an altercation with her husband. Adamo recalled Momo’s business associates as Bugsy Siegel, Jack Dragna, Simone Scozzari and Frank DeSimone, who had represented Adamo in both Los Angeles and San Diego. She notably recalls that DeSimone appears to have had no “steady girlfriends.”
Marie Adamo recalls that Momo was living in a hotel in downtown San Diego in the days before the shooting. With regards to the incident, she remembers that Adamo had returned to their home after a drinking spree, struck her over the head with a whiskey bottle and then shot her behind the ear. Mrs. Adamo did not initially realize that she had been shot, only knowing that her head was ringing. Girolamo Adamo exited the house and committed suicide on the front lawn. She was of the opinion that Adamo’s poor health (citing visits to a doctor and a ranch in Arizona because of his drinking) was the reason behind his decision. [9]
Ultimately though, Marie Adamo and Frank DeSimone did have a sexual relationship but it is almost certainly nowhere near as violent as suggested in The Grim Reapers. Their affair also appears to have been a known fact among LCN circles, as informants labelled Adamo as a “cornuto” and a “disgrace” by Sicilian standards – cornuto means cuckold in Italian. [10]
As a result, it can be concluded that while Adamo’s suicide is related to Frank DeSimone’s rigged election and his loss of power, his death can also partially be attributed to a sexual encounter(s) between Marie Adamo and DeSimone. However, DeSimone did not violate Marie Adamo in front of her husband as a display of his power as an LCN leader and while he very much played a role in Adamo’s death, it was not out of shame about any sort of assault that caused Momo Adamo to end his life.
Frank DeSimone was the boss of the Los Angeles family up until his death in 1967. He was succeeded by Nick Licata. [11] Marie Adamo later married San Diego mobster Frank Bompensiero and died in or around 1990. [12]
Image Credits:
Sources:
[1] The Grim Reapers: The Anatomy of Organized Crime in America, Reid, Ed (1969); pages: 176 (Archive.org Link)
[2] FBI, OC Related, Reporting Office SD, 10/26/59, NARA Record Number: 124-10214-10323 (Mary Ferrell Link)
[3] Los Angeles Underworld (Images of America), Bash, Avi & Niotta, Michael J. PhD (2021); pages: 36 & 37
[4] The Last Mafioso, Demaris, Ovid (1980); pages: 107 (Archive.org Link)
[5] The Last Mafioso, Demaris, Ovid (1980); pages: 100 (Archive.org Link)
[6] FBI, LCN, 03/27/69, NARA Record Number: 124-10226-10143 (Mary Ferrell Link)
[7] FBI, LCN, 07/22/64, Reporting Office LA, NARA Record Number: 124-10208-10406 (Mary Ferrell Link)
[8] FBI, Apalachin Meeting, 06/10/58, Reporting Office LA, NARA Record Number: 124-10290-10334 (Mary Ferrell Link)
[9] FBI, OC Related, Reporting Office SD, 10/26/59, NARA Record Number: 124-10214-10323 (Mary Ferrell Link)
[10] FBI, LCN, 07/15/64, Reporting Office SD, NARA Record Number: 124-10287-10204 (Mary Ferrell Link)
[11] FBI, LCN, 10/04/67, Reporting Office SD, NARA Record Number: 124-10293-10305 (Mary Ferrell Link)
[12] The Last Mafioso, Demaris, Ovid (1980); pages: 124 (Archive.org Link)
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