Frank "The Prime Minister" Costello

Francesco Castilia was born in Loropelli on the 10th of February 1891. Loropelli was a small village on the tip of southern Italy, a village that if folklore is correct was founded by petty criminals. At only four years old Francesco boarded a ship with his parents and immigrated to New York, where they settled in East Harlem. He was soon to find out that crime was the best and easiest way for a more luxurious life style. When he was in his late teens Francesco Castilia became Frank Costello and began collecting rent money for a local Don. Just after WW1 Frank while still only 23 years old, he found his first major business interest in punch boards the earliest version of scratch card. Frank and his partner made 100'000 in their first year and declared bankruptcy in order to avoid paying taxes.

Frank then turned his interest to bootlegging after prohibition was declared. Frank also met Arnold Rothstein, a Jewish racketeer who was heavily involved in the goings on at Tammany Hall. Tammany Hall was where all the political decisions in New York were made, and the Young Costello would have a great mentor in how to bribe politicians and police captains. During prohibition Costello made more important connections, this time with up and coming young mobsters such as Meyer Lansky, Vito Genovese, Bugsy Siegel and most of all Charles "Lucky" Luciano. Connections that would prove all too important in the years ahead.

As the Castellammarese war was winding down, Costello played his cards absolutely right. He backed Luciano all the way and was rewarded when Luciano came out of the Castellammarese war as the King of crime in the U.S. Luciano got his hands on the lions share and he needed good men to help him run it and Frank Costello was the right man to do it. Frank Costello was very popular amongst many mobsters throughout New York. But unlike many mobsters Frank was popular and respected for many different reasons. Frank hadn't carried a gun since the police caught him, back when he was still a young turk just starting out in the mob, so he never emanated the fact that he was a tough guy. He felt more achievement by using his brains to get by in the underworld, and it was this that made Frank a very unusual figure in the Mafia hierarchy. In 1936 when Luciano was jailed for his participation in a very lucrative prostitution ring, Lucky needed men that he could trust to run his huge syndicate, and so turned to Costello. Costello was backed up by Meyer Lansky, who was thought to be the money and brains behind the organization

In 1942 Luciano had Costello and Lansky to thank for getting him involved in the American war effort. Luciano used his contacts in Sicily to aide the allied invasion of Sicily and in doing so was rewarded by getting himself moved to an open prison where members of his family would visit any time they chose. In 1946 Luciano was released from prison on the condition that he never set foot on American soil again and was therefore deported back to Italy where he settled in Naples. On leaving America, Costello was the man that Luciano wanted as the leader of his family, and would be known throughout the Mafia as the "Prime Minister of the underworld".

During the period that Frank ruled the family, there was relative peace among the forces deployed across New York in the various crime groups. His philosophy of working out problems without resorting to violence prevailed most of the time. His ability to calm down potentially explosive situations and promote more sensible, workable compromises was such that he became known for his statesmanship. At this time, there were about 500 "made," or formal, soldiers in the family, working under perhaps as many as thirty caporegimes, or crew skippers. His chief lieutenants were Tony Bender, also known as Anthony Strollo, controlling Greenwich Village; Mike Coppola, running all the activities in Harlem; Joe Adonis and Willie Moretti over in New Jersey; Anthony Carfano in charge of the Bronx; and Michelle Miranada, presiding over the East Side. Vito Genovese, in fear of impending arrest in connection with the murder of a gangster called Ferdinand Boccia, had received Luciano's approval and fled to Italy. Although a number of families often competed on the same territory, disputes were settled on the highest level and, for most of the time, harmony prevailed. There were, of course, exceptions to the rule. Some of these would affect Costello's orderly control of things and require all of his skills and contacts to resolve.

By 1946 Vito Genovese had returned and was given high status within the family hierarchy, a status that would soon turn into the family underboss within a few years. But by the early 1950's Costello wasn't concerned by the power hungry Genovese as he had the Kefauver hearings to contend with. On March 13th1951, Frank Costello was summoned to appear at the courthouse in Foley Square New York. Frank had specifically told the court that he wanted none of the television camera's to show his face on television. So instead the cameramen focussed on Costello's hands where he shuffled nervously with a handkerchief in his hands, as the committee lawyers grilled him on his participation during the prohibition era of New York.

These were tough times for Frank. He also began to feel uneasy about the growing influence of Vito Genovese, but Frank was never one for conflict and let it go. But by 1957 Genovese would make his move to take over the family once and for all. He dispatched one of his loyal soldiers Vincent "The Chin" Gigante to eliminate Frank. May the 2nd 1957, Gigante shot Frank from point blank range, leaving Frank on the floor Gigante ran off thinking that he had left Costello for dead. The bullet just skimmed the side of Franks scalp, and Frank survived but took the hint.

Almost immediately Frank chose to retire from the Mafia forever leaving Genovese the victor. Frank Costello left the mob but always made himself available for anyone seeking advice. Even though Costello had retired from Mafia life he couldn't avoid his past crimes and faced numerous legal worries, including a deportation order. However he served just two years behind bars and the deportation order was thrown. Frank Costello died on the 18th of February 1973, but I doubt very much that anyone had left a mark on the New York Mafia the way Costello had. A man that did it different, a gent and a man that sought respect through his brains rather than gain respect through a fearsome reputation.

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