Frank Abbandando

Frank "Dasher" Abbandando was a hitman for so-called Murder Inc. He is claimed to have killed 30 people in Brooklyn in the 1920s and 1930s. His nickname came from his running speed; in one case he reputedly ran around a house to shoot his victim from behind.

In his teens Abbandando began to extort money from shop owners by threatening to burn their shops if they did not pay. He spent time in a reform school in Elmira, New York, where he demonstrated skill at baseball.

In his twenties, Abbandando worked as a lieutenant for the crime boss Harry Maione in Ocean Hill, New York. He organized gambling and loan shark operations and extortion rackets. In 1932 he took part in the gang war against the rival Shapiro gang in Brownsville to take over their territory. Their gang became Brooklyn, Inc, a forerunner of Murder Inc.

During his stint as a Murder, Inc assassin, Abbandando fulfilled numerous murder contracts for an average fee of $500. In his "free" time he molested young women. He preferred fine clothes and fancy cars.

In the early 1940s Abbandando was arrested due to testimony of his former boss-turned-informant Abe Reles and later sentenced to death for the murder of a loan shark George Rudnick in New York on May 25, 1937. He was executed in the electric chair on February 19, 1942.