Gangland.net - Frank Costello

Frank Costello became famous in the underworld because of his careful use of force. Costello was known as the "Prime Minister of the Underworld" because of his unique ability to get things done without resorting to force. He was perhaps one of the most intelligent men in mafia at his time and was considered a great money maker for everyone. He was also known for his great connections with the political portion of New York City. To this day no one from any family has equalled what he did in this area.

Costello started out in life as an immigrant from Italy and was born with the name Francesco Castiglia. Later on in life he would Americanize his name like so many other Italian immigrants. Costello began his criminal career early. In 1908, he was first arrested for assault and battery, but the case was discharged. In 1915, though he was picked up again for possession of a weapon. He was sentenced to a year in prison and this is when he adopted the theory that carrying a gun wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Costello was out to make money and when he met Arnold Rothstein his fortune increased. Rothstein was the man who set World Series and showed Costello how to put it all together. It showed when Congress passed Prohibition in 1920. Prohibition was the first time when organized crime began to really prosper, and Costello prospered more than most. He went all out in his efforts to control this business and was very successful. He used ships to bring in the liquor and actually fought many great battles with the Coast Guard. He would get the best ships and try to out run them. When the USCG got fast ships, Costello brought in airplanes to attack them. Costello was a genius when it came down to making money, especially through bootlegging. He was never brought down by the authorities during this time either, even though many people did fall. He was brought to trial, but got off with a hung jury. He bought a juror.

After Prohibition ended, Costello went into the gambling business. He bought slot machines and put them everywhere in New York and also set them up in New Orleans. When they went down he went on to push an even bigger deal led by his friend Bugsy Siegal. He was a major backer behind Las Vegas, when the idea first came into play. Later, he almost got into trouble because of his backing, when Vegas began to fail. However, Siegal paid for that mistake.

In the mid-forties, when Lucky Luciano was deported, Frank took over as the head of of the Luciano's family. This was when he selected for the Commission and eventually became the most powerful wiseguy in New York. Soon after this, business was great and Frank moved into an office on Wall Street. Everything was great for him. He was taking meetings all the day. Some were with wiseguys and some with politicians. All of the people who met him though, always showed great resect for Costello. It was this respect that gained Costello attention and eventually brought him into the spotlight. He was forced to participate in the Kefauver Hearings. At these hearings Frank all but became a household name to the entire nation. These hearings were broadcast nationally to between 20 to 30 million people. It was the first real attack on organized crime and ended up getting Costello a year in prison for contempt.

Costello's career began to wind down in the mid fifties when Vito Genovese began making a bid for power. He had recently fled the United States because of a murder indictment but when he returned, he came back in force. Immediately he began making his bid. Frank also ran into legal problems. He was hit with a tax evasion case and was convicted. While pending an appeal he was out of prison, and walking home when he was shot in the head by Vincent "the Chin" Gigante. However, Frank walked away from the incident with only a flesh wound. He also walked away from the "life." Frank retired (although probably not entirely) after this incident.