@Mulder, in the puzzle are there spaces for a 4 letter word which have double letter number indicators in spaces 2&3. If not then the answer is likely to be Capone, but if there is the answer is likely to be Hood. Then we can forget this debate.
The answer is HOOD, but YANK also fits in the grid. There are no words of 6 letters beginning with 'C' so CAPONE and CANOPY are out. Can only think that HOOD is a New York expression for villain
It is (well it's an American term I think but NY is a proxy for America (just as crosswords might say in Paris to indicate the answer is a French word)
I'm not sure why it's a misleading clue mouseymick. I still can't see how the wording could lead to YANK. If the NY comes from new York where would the AK come from?