By David Amoruso for Gangsters Inc.

Gambino Mafia family underboss and consigliere Frank “Frankie Loc” Locascio (photo above, far left) has been serving a life sentence since being convicted of racketeering in 1992 alongside mob boss John Gotti (above, far right), but this week, the 86-year-old mobster is trying to get his conviction overturned with some help from an unlikely friend known as “Sammy the Bull”.

Locascio made a filing in Brooklyn federal court on Thursday to overturn his conviction for the murder of wiseguy Louis DiBono in 1990 in a World Trade Center parking garage. Included in the filing is a statement by none other than former Gambino crime family underboss-turned-snitch Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano, who testified against Gotti and Locascio during their trial.

Frankie didn’t do it

“Frank Locascio (right) had no role in the planning of, nor did he participate in any way in the murder or conspiracy to murder Louis DiBono,” Gravano’s statement reads. Gravano’s update on this was first revealed back in 2018, but has now been filed officially in court.

READ: Murder on the Dancefloor: The demise of Gambino Mafia family soldier Anthony Mascuzzio

DiBono was on Gotti’s hit list after he failed to show the Mafia boss proper respect. When Locascio tried to advise Gotti on other possibilities than a death sentence, it only angered the “Teflon Don”, according to Gravano’s statement. “Gotti told me that he strongly resented Locascio’s suggestion that he take the money and forget about killing DiBono.”

According to Gravano, Locascio's unpopular suggestion also got him a new position within the family: He went from underboss to consigliere.

Last chance

At 86, Locascio has few options left to ever see freedom again. It is not surprising to see him grasp at any straw that could lead to his freedom, but it must sting to have to enlist the help from Salvatore Gravano.

Especially since Gravano is not doing this out of the good of his heart. If he had any heart or respect for Locascio he wouldn’t have written what he did about him in his book Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano’s Story of Life in the Mafia.

Moving bodies

First off: He writes how, after the murder of DiBono, he met with Frank Locascio, Gene Gotti, John Carneglia, and Angelo Ruggiero. Following this meeting they used Locascio’s Cadillac to move DiBono’s corpse to its final resting place. Thanks a lot, Sammy!

Second: He writes extensively about how Locascio was such a great, stand up mobster who was bullied by John Gotti at every turn. He does this primarily to bolster his own case against Gotti and how he made the right move by snitching.

“I’m killing this motherfucker”

This becomes clear when he throws Locascio under the bus by writing about how Gotti became furious with Locascio after he gave Gravano an orange he had stolen from the kitchen first before giving one to Gotti, his boss: “He has tears streaming down his face,” Gravano writes. “A man 59, 60 years old, a real tough guy, a man’s man. He says he’s gone crazy, meaning John. He apologizes for not standing up to John when John was bad-mouthing me in the apartment. ‘The minute I get out, I’m killing this motherfucker,’” he quotes Locascio as saying.

Thanks again, Sammy! That’s another murder conspiracy in the making for “Frankie Loc”.

It wasn’t me, until I was alone

Notice how Gravano (right) uses this alleged conversation once more to say he was right all along. His entire book is like that. It’s always the other guy. Never Sammy the Bull. Of course, that excuse didn’t fly when he was busted for dealing ecstasy pills to kids in Arizona with his son and a youth gang. No one was telling Gravano wat to do then.

He was sentenced to 20 years for drug trafficking in that case after earlier getting off with a slap on the wrist for 19 gangland murders in exchange for testifying against the Mafia. He was released from prison in 2017 and found himself in a new world.

Mob Wives fame

His daughter Karen had made an even bigger name for herself by appearing on the hit television show Mob Wives in which she exploited her family name and history. With her notorious daddy back out on the streets, it was time to take this new business to the next level: By having the man himself run it, doing interviews and whatever else presented itself for the right price. Infamy sells just as good as fame.

The only problem the Gravanos faced was the fact that Sammy the Bull was a snitch, a rat. Bulls and hitmen sell, but rats not so much. So they had to change the narrative. Badmouthing Gotti was useless, John Gotti had long since passed away behind bars and the story was getting old. How could Gravano show he was operating by an honorable code?

READ: The Guys That Do More Than Killing: Gambino Mafia family mobsters busted for large variety of crimes

In comes Frank Locascio. Why not throw that old guy a bone. Albeit a belated one. It might help him, but probably not. It certainly won’t undo the damage Gravano’s earlier testimony had done.

Rat label

It would, however, do a lot for Gravano. It would once more emphasize his narrative that it was John Gotti - not Gravano - who fucked the Gambino crime family and its members. ‘Gravano snitched, but come on, guys! Gotti was an asshole to all of us! Acting like he was our boss and everything.’ And so, Gravano snitched to put an end to Gotti’s reign of terror by making a call to HR at the FBI.

READ: Mob boss John Gotti’s grandson is introducing the world of Mixed Martial Arts to the family’s fighting spirit

All kidding aside, former Gambino family underboss-turned-rat Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano is still looking out for number one: himself. His image is tarnished by his decision to snitch and he is doing his utmost best to cover that stain up. Will it work?

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