Bompensiero, Frank (1905-1977)

Born Milwaukee, WI, Sept. 29, 1905.

Killed San Diego, CA, Feb. 10, 1977.

Bompensiero, known as "Bomp" or "the Bomp," was a key member of the west coast Dragna crime family, a San Diego mob chief and a government informant.

Born in the U.S. midwest, Bompensiero became a California Mafia enforcer in his twenties. By 1950, he was responsible for at least one failed attempt on the life of west coast gambling czar Mickey Cohen.

Jack Dragna put Bompensiero in charge of the San Diego region around 1950. Five years later, law enforcement officials succeeded in putting Bomp behind bars for bribery. He served a five-year term.

In the mid-60s, Bompensiero avoided additional prison time by becoming an informant for the FBI. He fed information to federal agents for more than a decade. During much of that time, the Los Angeles Family grew suspicious of Bompensiero.

On Feb. 10, 1975, Bompensiero was shot to death at a telephone booth.

Links:

• American Mafia biography of Frank Bompensiero.
•  "40 years ago: Mafia executes SoCal informant" (Writers of Wrongs - 10 Feb 2017)