By David Amoruso

Frank Costello was one of the most famous Mafia bosses. Costello was part of Lucky Luciano's crew as a youngster and would rise alongside his friend to become one of the most powerful Mafia bosses the US had ever seen. Unlike most Mafia bosses Costello used his brains more than his muscle, he would make contacts with judges, police officials and politicians. These contacts gave him the nickname: The Prime Minister of the Underworld.

Costello was born on January 20, 1891, in Calabria province, Italy. He was born Francesco Castiglia and in 1895, with his sister and mother, sailed for America. There he grew up in the Italian ghetto. By the time Costello was 13 he was a street-smart member of a local gang, and his first name had been anglicized to Frank. Pretty soon he got in trouble with the law. After running into the law several times and always beating the system in 1915 his luck had run out when he was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon, he went to prison for eleven months.

When he got out of prison Costello moved on to bigger and better things, especially when he teamed up with Charles "Lucky" Luciano (picture on the left) and his crew. Costello's activities bloomed. Bootlegging, slot machines, gambling; he generated huge amounts of money from a wide range of illegal operations and, most of all, he developed a reputation as an advisor and a bridge between the legitimate world and the mob. If a politician had to be reached or a judge fixed, Costello would get the assignment. He built up a solid reputation as a man who had the right contacts and could organize a fix. He was of major importance to Luciano and was very close to the core of the future power of the Mafia in the US.

After the Castellammarese War Costello's rise began. On June 18, 1936, Lucky Luciano was taken down by U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Dewey. Luciano was admitted to Dannemora Prison way up in the northern part of New York State, almost on the Canadian border, to serve his sentence. Luciano would still run his Family from prison and he named Costello his Acting Boss, with Vito Genovese (picture on the right) as Underboss. During the period that Costello ruled the family, there was relative peace among the forces deployed across New York in the various crime groups. When Costello's Underboss Genovese fled to Italy in fear of impending arrest in connection with a murder Costello had total control with no one to chalenge him. Throughout the early 1940s, while Luciano was in prison, Costello continued to expand his business interests and develop an ever-widening circle of friends. Things were great.

Until Vito Genovese returned from Italy on June 11,1946. Genovese's return and Luciano's deportion caused some problems for Costello. With Luciano gone the Family needed a real boss, someone who handled business as a real boss instead of Acting Boss. You might ask what's the problem? Costello was running business the way it was to be run, why argue about a new Boss? Well Genovese didn't like being in second place. To keep the peace Costello stepped aside, and allowed Genovese the top spot. At the top Genovese could see things had changed in the eight years he was gone. He saw how strong the bond was between Costello and Adonis, and in particular Anastasia who more and more was taking control of the Mangano family of which he was underboss. He observed Costello’s political power, growing wealth and influence. Things went relatively smooth between Costello and Genovese. But then there were the Kefauver Hearings. The Kefauver Committee was organized to investigate Organized Crime in the US mobsters from all major cities were subpoenaed to attend and answer questions about Organized Crime. After these hearings Costello emerged as the best-known racketeer in the nation. He became a major target of the Justice Department, and the Federal government moved its attack across three different fronts: contempt of the senate charges, income tax evasion and denaturalisation proceedings. But all these things weren't Costello's biggest problem.

By the autumn of 1951, Vito Genovese was ready to begin his final assault on Costello and become top dog in the underworld. But before he could get to Costello, Costello got away. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison after a contempt of the senate conviction. In August 1952, he went to prison. He was a model prisoner, and was released early in October 1953. In April 1954, Costello went on trial for tax evasion in an indictment that claimed he conspired to hide $51,095 of income over the period 1950-1954. He was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison and fined $30,000, the maximum penalty the law allowed. Unable to convict Costello for the crimes they believed he had committed, the Government settled for small time stuff that at least satisfied its thirst for revenge. On May 14, 1956 Costello was convicted again and went to prison. Costello hired a new lawyer and in April 1957, Costello was released on parole and $25,000 bail pending the outcome of the Court of Appeals decision. Back in New York, Costello resumed his old lifer style, mornings at the Waldorf barbershop, afternoons with his mob crones, evenings out to dinner with Bobbie or his mistress at his favourite restaurants.....now his other problem would show his face.

After a night out on the town Frank Costello was on his way home. As he arrived and went into the building where he lived getting ready to step into the elevator a guy behind him yelled: "Hi, this is for you, Frank.", the guy then fired one shot from less then ten feet at Costello's head. Turning towards the source of the voice, the flash blinded Frank, but his life was saved by the natural reaction he had to the shouted instruction. Instead of puncturing his head and entering his brain the bullet tore into the skin behind his right ear, ricocheted around the nape of his neck, slammed into a wall behind him and landed spent on the floor. As Frank staggered and fell back, the gunman rushed out of the lobby. He jumped into the waiting black Cadillac and drove of. The hitman would later be identified as Vincent "Chin" Gigante (picture on the left) a soldier under Capo Tommy Eboli and loyal to Genovese. After the failed hit on Costello (picture on the right), Vito Genovese appointed himself boss.

In due time Costello made it clear that he wanted peace and would step down. Genovese agreed to let Costello live, but first he had to prove something to his peers. He reduced Costello to the rank of a humble soldier. He stripped him of his gambling interests in Las Vegas, Florida and the Caribbean. He even made Frank give up his points in The Copocabana nightclub. And finally, he extracted a promise from Costello that he would get out and never again be involved in the rackets. Costello agreed, then retired gracefully from the scene. Costello went on to live the rest of his life in a quiet and uneventful retirement. After a heart attack, he was admitted to Doctors Hospital on East End Avenue, Manhattan, and there, died peacefully in his sleep at 7:30 a.m. on February 18, 1973. He had lived to the ripe old age of 82.

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