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EspañolLUCKY LUCIANO
'Charles "Lucky" Luciano' (born 'Salvatore Lucania') (November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was a Sicilian-American mobster. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime and the mastermind of the massive postwar expansion of the international heroin trade.
TIME magazine named Luciano amongst the top 20 most influential builders and titans of the 20th century.[1]
Early life
Salvatore Lucania was born on November 24, 1897 in Lercara Friddi, Sicily, a town primarily known for its sulfur mines. The promise of a better life led his family to immigrate to America in 1907. Upon arriving in Ellis Island, Luciano was diagnosed with smallpox, an affliction which pockmarked his face for life. He arrived in New York City later that year. Upon his arrival in New York Luciano's parents settled in a Jewish neighborhood.
At age 10, Salvatore was arrested for the first time for shoplifting. It was at this early age that he would meet lifelong friend, Meyer Lansky, and business partner Bugsy Siegel. Supposedly Luciano ran protection rackets on young Jewish children on their way to school. When Lansky — who was shorter and weaker than Luciano — refused to pay for "protection," Luciano beat him severely. But the determined Lansky stood his ground and fought Luciano to the end, thus earning Luciano's respect and friendship for life.
At age 14, Luciano served four months in a Brooklyn youth correctional facility for truancy.
In 1915, Salvatore and his gang were evicted from a theater in East Harlem for rowdy behavior. It was that same night that Salvatore Lucania met Francesco Castiglia, better known as Frank Costello. Salvatore and Frank became close friends. During this period Luciano was hired as a local hat seller making seven dollars a week. Many historians believe that this job was a facade for Luciano to transport heroin in the hat boxes without arousing suspicion.
At age 18, Salvatore was sentenced to six months in the reformatory for selling heroin and morphine. During his incarceration Luciano's parents never visited him due to the fact that he had shamed the family with his convictions for peddling narcotics.
After his release Salvatore legally changed his name to Charlie Luciano, his longtime alias, for two reasons: first, if he was to be convicted again, he would not shame his parents who were hardworking immigrants; second, because while at the reformatory he was called Sally, and Luciana translated into English means goodness. Sally Goodness: A rather unimpressive name for an aspiring gangster.
Soon after his release, Luciano was arrested again for trying to move heroin. He turned in several Jewish gangsters who he knew had a trunk full of heroin in their basement. This would come back to haunt him in his pandering trial.
Prohibition
In 1919 the U.S. government banned the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in the country. This prohibition gave every gangster on the street the golden opportunity they had been waiting for.
Luciano had plans to expand his territory and expand his profits by collaborating with other gangsters to cut down the cost of political protection and reduce the likelihood of hijacked shipments. But Joe "The Boss" Masseria forbade Luciano from doing this.
By 1920, Luciano had met many of the mafia heavyweights including Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, his longtime friend, business partner, and eventually Sottocapo through his involvement in the Five Points Gang. Together, backed by Arnold Rothstein, they began a bootlegging venture using a trucking firm as a front.
By 1925, Luciano was grossing close to a million a year; however, he was netting much less each year due to the high costs of bribing politicians and cops. Luciano ran the largest bootlegging operation in New York, one that also extended into Philadelphia. He imported scotch directly from Scotland, rum from the Caribbean, and whiskey from Canada. He was also involved in gambling, loan sharking and extortion. By this time Luciano was already a big player in the New York mob.
Rise to Power
Soon Luciano joined forces with Joe "the Boss" Masseria. But the partnership was doomed from the start as Luciano’s and Masseria’s methods of business differed greatly. Masseria was what was then known as a "Mustache Pete," which meant an old school mafiosi who strictly followed the rules of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra. Lucky and his contemporaries on the other hand were known as the "Young Turks." The Mustache Petes didn't condone the heroin traffic and did not work with anyone who was not Sicilian. The Young Turks on the other hand were heavily immersed in the New York heroine trade, and believed that if the business was profitable, then the race of your partner didn't matter.
One day in 1929, Luciano was forced into a limo at gun point by three men, beaten and stabbed, and dumped on a beach on New York Bay. Luciano survived the ordeal, but was forever marked with the now famous scar and droopy eye. After his abduction, Luciano found out through Meyer Lansky that it had been ordered by Masseria. Luciano then secretly plotted with Masseria's enemy Salvatore Maranzano to betray Masseria. This plot would end the famous Castellammarese War.
The Castellammarese War raged from 1928 to 1931, resulting in the deaths of many mobsters. The war ended with the assassination of Masseria in a Coney Island restaurant by Bugsy Siegel and three of Luciano's men. It is rumored that Luciano was having lunch with Masseria and stepped into the men's room just as the gunmen stormed the restaurant. Sal Maranzano then made Luciano his number two man, and set up the Five New York Families under him, promising that they would all be equal and all be free to make money.
After being made Maranzano's number two man Maranzano called together all the heavy hitting gangsters of New York in order to declare himself Capo Di Tutti i Capi (Boss of all Bosses) which meant every Don in the country had to pay up to him. He also whittled down the rackets of the rival families in order to strengthen his own family.
Luciano could tolerate being lied to and cheated out of a few dollars, but when Meyer Lansky told him that Maranzano had plans to kill him, Luciano could no longer stand still. Lansky assembled a hit squad to pose as government agents. On the day Maranzano was to hire Luciano's assassin they stormed Maranzano's office. He thought he was being arrested. The squad cut Maranzano to ribbons with a volley of gunfire and repeated stabbings. On the way down the stairs they met up with "Mad Dog" Coll, Luciano's would-be assassin.
Reorganizing Cosa Nostra
Luciano was now the model mobster; he had businesses throughout the country. His long time friend Meyer Lansky served as his right hand man and Luciano always followed Lansky’s advice. During the years of Luciano's rule, he made this pact: "we only kill each other." When Dutch Schultz tried to kill New York attorney Thomas Dewey, in direct violation of the pact, Schultz was executed instead. Charles Luciano was a young, powerful and influential gangster who had finally reached the pinnacle of America's underworld, directing its criminal rules, policies and activities along with the other top Bosses. He sat atop the most powerful crime family in America, which now bore his name and controlled the most lucrative criminal rackets in New York such as gambling, bookmaking, loan-sharking, and extortion. Luciano was very influential in labor and union activities and controlled the Manhattan waterfront, garbage hauling, construction, garment center businesses, and trucking.
Lucky — seeing that the position only created tension and trouble between the families — abolished the title of ''Capo Di Tutti i Capi.'' Luciano felt that the ceremony of being "made a soldier" in a family should be done away with; however, Meyer Lansky urged him against it, saying that young people needed rituals to cling to. Luciano also stressed the importance of the omerta, the oath of silence.
Luciano also took it upon himself to set up the Mafia's ruling bodies.
The Commission
Luciano organized the Commission with the Mafia's top men, and was its undisputed leader. The Commission was the gangster equivalent of the Supreme Court, and settled all gangland disputes. They decided who received what rackets and which territories. If an individual was to be a "made man," their Don had to go before The Commission and clear their sponsorship into the honored society. The Commission was made up of the Five New York Families, Buffalo, the Bronx, Chicago, Cleveland, California, and Kansas City.
Murder Inc.
Murder, Inc. was the Mafia's hit squad. The collective is said to have overseen the deaths of over 10,000 gangsters before being abolished. Murder Inc. was given the responsibility of overseeing the hit on Dutch Shultz. The head of Murder Inc. was Louis "The Butcher" Lepke, who was eventually sent to Sing Sing and executed by electric chair for his crimes. When this happened, Albert Anastasia took over as head of Murder Inc., and is said to have overseen 500 hits before his death in 1957.
The Luciano Family
Luciano elevated his most trusted and loyal Family members to high-level positions in the Luciano Crime Family. The feared Vito Genovese became his Underboss, while former Chicago Boss, Johnny Torrio was a member and considered Senior Advisor to the Family. The Luciano Crime Family had many powerful underworld members, and Luciano trusted his Capos to oversee his empire on the streets, including Frank Costello, Giuseppe "Joe Adonis" Doto, Michael "Trigger Mike" Coppola, Anthony "Tony Bender" Strollo, Generoso Del Duca, Thomas "Tommy Palmer" Greco, Louis "Louie the Gimp" Avitabile, John "Duke" DeNoia, Gaetano Ricci, Rocco "The Old Man" Pelligrino, John "Footo" Biello, Guarino "Willie Moore" Moretti, Angelo "Gyp" DeCarlo, Angelo "Toke" Casamassa and Ruggero "Ritchie the Boot" Boiardo in New Jersey, Salvatore "Big Nose Sam" Cufari in Connecticut and Anthony "Little Augie Pisano" Carfano in New York and Florida. By this time Luciano was clearly in charge of organized crime and nobody dared to challenge his authority.
The Highlife
Meyer Lansky always warned Lucky that his flamboyant nature would be his downfall. Charlie Luciano became extremely wealthy, and liked to be seen around town at the most exclusive and expensive nightspots such as the Stork Club and the Copacabana with a different woman every night. What Luciano lacked in looks (due to his pockmarks and the scars he received from his stabbing) he is said to have compensated for in charm. Lucky lived in a three bedroom suite at the Waldorf Astoria that cost $7,600 a year, equivalent to $100,000 today. He was known to be always dressed in the height of fashion with a large, white, silk handkerchief.
Pandering Prosecutions
Luciano's reign was relatively short-lived. Special prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey, a future Republican presidential candidate, singled out Luciano as an organized crime ringleader, and succeeded in having him convicted on trumped-up prostitution charges in 1936 and sentenced to 30 to 50 years in prison along with Dave Betillo and others. But before he could get Luciano into court for trial, Lucky escaped to Hot Springs, Arkansas, the renowned gangster haven established by famous gangster Owney Madden.
However Dewey coerced several madams to claim that Luciano was the head of a prostitution ring and that he personally had made collections. It was Dave Betillo who was in charge of the prostitution ring in New York, and any money that Charlie received was from Betillo. But Dewey had also managed to persuade the staff at the Waldorf to testify that Luciano's gangster friends had often come to his room. Perhaps the most damning evidence of all was the wiretap on Lucky's phone. At the end of the trial Dewey reminded Luciano that he had ratted out Jewish gangsters nearly twenty years ago, which made him nothing better than a stool pigeon. Lucky was indeed convicted and sentenced to 30 to 50 years in prison.
He continued to run the Luciano Crime Family from prison, relaying his orders through his first Acting Boss, Vito Genovese, who quickly lived up to his feared reputation for violence, and fled to Naples, Italy, in 1937 to avoid a murder indictment. The Family's third most powerful member, Consigliere Frank Costello became the new Sottocapo and overseer of Luciano's interests. It is a mystery to most organized crime historians who replaced Costello as the Family Consigliere. The only hint to the Costello successor is that former Genovese Family soldier and the first mafia informer in the United States, Joseph "Joe Cago" Valachi mentions in the book "The Valachi Papers," a certain "Sandino" as the Family counselor at a meeting he attends with his Capo, Anthony "Tony Bender" Strollo.
World War II, Freedom, and Deportation
Luciano was imprisoned in Dannemora, where he was treated fairly well. While he was in prison, the French ocean liner "Le Normandie" was sunk by German U-Boats. During WWII the U.S. government reportedly struck a secret deal with the imprisoned Luciano. U.S. military intelligence knew that Luciano maintained good connections in the Sicilian and Italian Mafia, which had been severely persecuted by Mussolini. Luciano considered himself to be a loyal American who was devoted to Sicily, the Mafia, and the U.S. alike. His help was sought in providing Mafia assistance to counter possible Axis infiltration on U.S. waterfronts, during Operation Avalanche, and his connections in Italy and Sicily were tapped to furnish intelligence and ensure an easy passage for U.S. forces as they moved up through the Italian peninsula. Albert Anastasia, who controlled the docks, promised that no dockworker strikes would arise. Both during and after the war, the U.S. military and intelligence agencies reputedly also used Luciano's Mafia connections to root out Communist influence in resistance groups and local governments.
In return for his cooperation, Luciano was allegedly permitted to run his crime empire unhindered from his jail cell. During the 1940s, Luciano used to meet US military men during train trips throughout Italy, and he enjoyed being recognized by his countrymen, several times taking photos and even signing autographs for them.
In 1946, as a reward for his wartime cooperation, Luciano was paroled on the condition that he depart the United States of America and return to Sicily. He accepted the deal, although he had maintained during his trial that he was a native of New York City and was therefore not subject to deportation; he was deeply hurt about having to leave the USA, a country he had considered his own ever since his arrival at age ten.
Luciano's confederates saw him off at the docks with envelopes stuffed with cash, reportedly as much as $400,000.
The Havana Conference
After World War II, Luciano was paroled from prison on the condition that he permanently return to Sicily. However, Luciano secretly moved to Cuba, where he worked to resume control over American mafia operations. Luciano also ran a number of casinos in Cuba with the sanction of Cuban president General Fulgencio Batista (who naturally received a percentage of the profits). As Luciano's Cuban revenues grew and the tourism and gambling business blossomed, Lansky, himself, started investing heavily in a Cuban hotel project.
Lansky called together the heads of all the major Families, claiming that they were going to see Frank Sinatra perform. Lucky had three topics to discuss: the heroin trade, Cuban gambling, and what was to be done about Bugsy Siegel.
The Conference took place at the Hotel Nacional and lasted a little more than a week.
The first topic of discussion was investment in Cuba. Their next topic of discussion was "the French Connection." The French Connection was an infamous scheme through which the drug heroin was smuggled via Turkey to France and then to the United States. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the route provided the vast majority of heroin consumed in the United States. Headed by the Corsican criminals François Spirito and Antoine Guérini, associated with Auguste Ricord, Paul Mondolini and Montreal Sicilian Salvatore Greco, the French Connection dealt with Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano. Most of its starting capital came from Ricord's assets stolen during World War II when he worked for Henri Lafont, an agent of the Carlingue (French Gestapo).
One of the main topics for discussion at the Havana Conference was ordering a hit on Siegel, who was unaware of this meeting. Meyer Lansky, who several times owed his life to Siegel when they were young, took a stand against the hit. He begged the attendees to give Siegel a chance by waiting until after the casino opening. Luciano, who believed Siegel could still turn a profit in Las Vegas and pay back what he owed the mafia investors, agreed to postpone the hit.
To placate his investors, Siegel opened his still-unfinished casino on the star-studded night of December 26, 1946, although he did not have as many Hollywood celebrities with him as he had hoped. Soon the Flamingo ran dry of entertainers and customers; it closed after only two weeks in order to resume construction. The fully operational Flamingo re-opened in March of 1947. Still dissatisfied, the casino's gangster investors once again met in Havana in the spring of 1947 to decide whether to "liquidate" Siegel. Luckily for Siegel, the Flamingo had just turned a profit that month. Lansky again spoke up in support of his old friend and convinced Luciano to give Siegel one last chance
But when the Flamingo still failed to turn a profit, Bugsy's fate was sealed.
The deposed Lucky, hungry for fame once again, asked that he be declared Capo Di Tutti i Capi. His old friends and business associates agreed that he deserved the title — all except Vito Genovese, who wanted the title for himself and is rumored to have leaked Lucky's whereabouts to the government. It is said that Lucky took him into a room and beat him severely for his betrayal.
When the US government learned of Luciano's presence in the Caribbean he was forced to fly back to Italy.
Operating in Italy
In his later years, Luciano came into conflict with Lansky over the amount of money he was receiving from Mafia operations in the early 1960s. Luciano's failing health hampered him from putting up a fight in the matter.
However, Luciano wasn't willing to give up without a fight. He bought out the major interest in an Italian candy company that sold confetti. This was little more than a way for Luciano to ship heroin under the radar of the government. The government, not willing to believe that Luciano retired, smashed sixty crates of confetti without finding a single gram of heroin. After the unsuccessful raid, Luciano was exiled from Rome.
Living in Naples, Luciano immersed himself in the high life of Italian culture, dining in the finest restaurants and living in luxurious apartments with the love of his life. In old age, Lucky also became a charitable man, financially helping many poor Italians before he set up a medical supply store as a front for his illegal businesses. But no matter how much success he achieved, Lucky was homesick. He would often talk with G.I.s and tourists in the California restaurant for the sole purpose of speaking to people in English.
As Luck Would Have It
During his exile, Luciano missed a major power shift in America. Vito Genovese, who was at one time the Luciano Family Sottocapo, had decided that he wanted to take over the Luciano Family. After a botched assassination attempt on Costello's life by Vinnie "The Chin" Gigante, Costello stepped down as Don and let Genovese take over. But Genovese wanted to take out his competition.
It was at the famous Appalachian Summit Meeting that he planned to propose to The Commission that Lucky be stripped of his title as ''Capo Di Tutti i Capi,'' and that he be crowned Boss of all Bosses.
But Vito Genovese didn't count on one of Luciano's protégés, a man by the name of Carlo Gambino, to hold loyalty to his old Boss.
Costello, Luciano, and Gambino met in a hotel in Sicily to discuss their plan of action. Lucky decided that the only way to stop Vito was to incarcerate him.
Carlo tipped off the authorities back in the states about the meeting, itself, while Costello and Luciano worked with their political connections to send Vito away on charges of heroin smuggling,
Their plans were successful in the short run, but broke one of Luciano's commandments: "No one knows who we really are." The Appalachian Meeting led to the incarceration of several high ranking men, as well as the first high ranking man to become an informant.
The Twilight of His Years
Luciano was also told not to promote or participate in a movie about his life, as it would have attracted unnecessary attention to the mob. He relented until after his girlfriend died of breast cancer, and was scheduled to meet with a movie producer arriving by plane at the Naples International Airport. As fate would have it on January 26, 1962, Lucky Luciano's luck finally ran out, and he died of a heart attack at the age of 64 at Naples International Airport. He was buried in St. John's Cemetery in Queens, where he was raised.
Even today Luciano is recognized as the biggest gangster ever and one of the most influential criminals in world history due to his direct participation in major criminal conspiracies like the establishment of Cosa Nostra in the United States and the importation of heroin during his exile in Italy.
Quotes
★ "There's no such thing as good money or bad money. There's just money."
★ "If you have a lot of what people want and can't get, then you can supply the demand and shovel in the dough."
★ "The world is changing, and there are new opportunities for those who are ready to join forces with those who are stronger and more experienced."
★ "Ever since we were kids, we always knew that people can be bought. It was only a question of who did the buyin', and for how much."
★ "Behind every great fortune there is a crime."
References in Popular Culture
★ Michael Corleone shares many strange characteristics and similarities with Luciano.
★ The 1973 Italian/American film production “Lucky Luciano” starring Gian Maria Volonte as Luciano and featuring Vincent Gardenia, Rod Steiger and real-life Federal Agent Charles Siracusa, is the best known portrayal of this gangster's life story.
★ In the film, "The Cotton Club", Luciano is portrayed by Joe Dallesandro.
★ The 1989 book ''Billy Bathgate'', a retelling of Dutch Schultz's last days from the point of view of a young boy he befriends, features Luciano as a minor character whom the narrator is too afraid to identify by name. He was played by Stanley Tucci in the film adaptation.
★ The 1991 film ''Mobsters'' is about the rise of Luciano, Lansky, Frank Costello and Bugsy Siegel. It takes several liberties with historical accuracy. It stars Christian Slater as Luciano, who narrates the film.
★ The 1991 film ''Bugsy'', the role of Lucky Luciano was played by Bill Graham.
★ The 1993 hip hop song by "Flow Joe" by Fat Joe. "Together we're getting dough, just like Lucky Luciano."
★ The 1997 film ''Hoodlum'', about the gang war in Harlem between Dutch Schultz and Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, co-starring Andy Garcia as Luciano. Arguably it is the most accurate ''physical'' portrayal of him, showing Luciano with all of his scars and malformities.
★ The 2002 book ''54'', written by Wu Ming, has Lucky Luciano as one of its characters - as well as Marshall Tito and Cary Grant.
★ The Jack Higgins novel Luciano's Luck recounts a (heavily fictionalized) version of Luciano's involvement in the liberation of Sicily during the Second World War.
★ Rapper (Sheek Louch from the group LOX) takes his moniker from that of Lucky Luciano. (Sheek Louciano)
★ A biographical film about the life of Lucky Luciano, based on the book, "The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano" by Martin Gosch and Richard Hammer, is currently in the works.
Source Notes
1. Time.com
References
★ Johnson, Richard. ''H'Wood Eyes Luciano Tale,'' Publisher: New York Post 2007
★ Gosch, Martin A. and Hammer, Richard. ''The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano,'' Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1974.
★ Raab, Selwyn. Five Families: ''The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires'' Publisher: St. Martin's Press 2006
★ Klerks, Cat. ''Lucky Luciano: The Father of Organized Crime (True American Amazing Stories Series)'' Publisher: Altitude Publishing, Ltd. 2005
★ Powell, Hickman. ''Lucky Luciano: The Amazing Trial and Conviction of America's First Organized Crime Boss''. Publisher: Barricade Books, Incorporated 2000
★ Feder, Sid and Joesten. Joachim. ''Luciano Story''. Publisher: Da Capo Press 1994
External links
★
★
★ Photos
★ Born Lucky, Don't mention the Castellammarese War
★ American Organized Crime - Genovese Crime Family - Salvatore "Charlie 'Lucky' Luciano" Lucania
★ Biography of Lucky Luciano
★ Lucky's Story
★ Lucky's Involvement in the War
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