Frank Costello would step into his place while Vito vowed that he would one day come back to take his rightful spot. However, shortly after he was named acting boss in 1936 he was forced to flee the country and go back to Italy. He was determined to take over the remains of the Luciano Crime Family and make it his own. One word you could use to describe Vito Genovese is ambitious. Everyone knows what happened over the next decade. This was when most people felt that he made his biggest miscalculation in naming Paul Castellano as next boss of the family. He had avoided the authorities and his enemies for his entire career and now the end was near. He was a true wolf in sheeps’ clothing.īy the mid 1970’s, the legendary don was in ailing health. He was even respectful to the FBI agents who were constantly surveilling him and showing up at his door. Carlo was much more popular than Anastasia with the other bosses, he was diplomatic in comparison. It was Carlo who masterminded the killing of Albert Anastasia in 1957 with the help of Vito Genovese. From 1957-1976, he was the most powerful mobster in America and the New York mafia had one of its’ most prosperous eras as a result. He could have people killed with a simple nod or a wink. While he was feared, it was the respect he had among his peers that led him to become the boss of bosses. Lansky passed away from lung cancer on January 15, 1983.Ĭarlo Gambino led a very charmed life for a mafia boss. Meyer invested heavily in his offshore operations and kept a lower profile in his later years. Although Jewish, he had more authority in the mafia than anyone except Lucky Luciano. He set up gambling empires all over the world and may have been the richest gangster since Al Capone. At this time, the Jewish mob was fully on par with the Italian mafia in New York and around the country.
You had Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, his partner in the “Bugs and Meyer Gang”. Meyer had a legendary cast of Jewish mobsters that fell in line under his command. Some Italians were jealous of the royal treatment that Lansky received but Luciano would not hear such complaints. Meyer was his chief shot caller for National Crime Syndicate operations. He was someone that Lucky Luciano had genuine trust and admiration for. Meyer Lansky was the most powerful Jewish gangster that ever lived. The empire that he built known as the Chicago Outfit would carry on without him and continue to prosper for many decades after his death He got syphilis and began to wilt away in prison, a mere skeleton of what he used to be. Scarface was able to pay off jurors and kill witnesses for years, but would eventually be taken down by a tax evasion case. Valentine’s Day massacre, he had seven of his enemies killed at one time. Al Capone may have been the most power hungry and ruthless mafia boss in history. He was known for beating several people to death with baseball bats. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill a law enforcement agent or a politician.
He was played by Robert DeNiro in the blockbuster movie, The Untouchables.Ĭapone set a high standard from mob boss brutality. When it comes to movies and entertainment, the name Al “Scarface” Capone is the most commonly portrayed mobster. He had absolute control over liquor distribution. Capone made more money than any gangster before or in the years since.
He was the first mobster to make millions and build an empire based on bootlegging. Related Story: Charles “Lucky” Luciano: A Criminal Genius It was Lucky Luciano who turned the mafia into a legitimate power in America. These organizations elevated the mafia from a group of warring street gangs to a sophisticated society with a hierarchy and rules. Lucky decided that the major five families in New York City needed the same kind of ruling board and that led to the creation of the Commission. This was the first time in America that crime family leaders would agree to actually sit down together and mediate business matters. The Syndicate was a ruling body for mob families all over the country and it included Jewish and Irish mob bosses. He was the creator of two very important groups, The National Crime Syndicate and The Commission. He was a ruthless killer who also possessed a ton of ambition and business sense that gave him an edge in every situation. (pictured above) All of the top mobsters in New York in the 1920’s and 1930’s took their ultimate orders from Lucky. Even though he may not have been as rich as Al Capone and a few others, no mobster in American history was more influential than Charles “Lucky” Luciano.