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Obituaries

Frank J. Valenti | N.Y. crime boss, 97

    Inquirer
    Published 

Frank J. Valenti, 97, who oversaw organized-crime activity in Rochester, N.Y., during its violent heyday in the 1960s and '70s, died last Saturday at a nursing home outside Houston.

Mr. Valenti seized control of gambling, prostitution and extortion rackets in Rochester in 1964 and had connections with the powerful Bonanno family in New York City, investigators say. He was toppled by rivals during a violent turf war between mob factions capped by a series of bombings at churches, court buildings, and the homes of a judge and a union leader.

During Mr. Valenti's notorious reign, his hometown newspaper ran a regular feature on the doings of the dapper gangster.

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AP

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