Frank Costello (1891 - 1973)
A.K.A:"Prime Minister, Irish"

For all the muscle involved in organized crime, Frank Costello was the brains that smoothed out the judges, police and politicians that kept the machine running. His contacts through city hall and across the country along with his ability to slip in and out of different parts of society earned him the name "Prime Minister."

At an early age, Costello (born Francesco Castiglia) was involved in crime, robbing his landlady at the age of 14. He was arrested three times as a youth for assault and robbery, but was released each time. At 24 he was sentenced to a year in prison for carrying a gun. It wasn't so much the gun that got him sentenced, but rather the three other times he'd been released. The judge saw his previous releases for more serious crimes and sent him away. After that, Costello decided to make his living with his brains rather than a gun, which kept him out of jail for the next 37 years.

After his release from prison, Costello began making contacts in the political rings. During the age of Prohibition, these contacts would prove vital to the operations set up between his childhood friends, Charlie Luciano and Meyer Lansky. The group, along with Benny Siegel would become the most powerful force of underworld crime the country had known, while all of them were still in their twenties. Costello was oldest of them all, using his maturity to his advantage when dealing with the mayors, governors, police and judges that ran the city. While the others were plotting takeovers, Costello was "doing favors" for people that would allow the group to operate freely around New York City, and soon the rest of the country. He gained them the protection they needed, something they could not do without. His contacts came in handy when disposing Abe "Kid Twist" Reles in 1941. Reles, the top informant in the Murder, Inc., cases, and probably the most important mob informant in history, died somehow falling out a two story Hotel window while under 24-hour police guard. Theories abound about how this all took place: that Reles was playing a practical joke and messed up, that he was trying to escape, or that the mob had him killed. The later has Costello playing a major role in Reles' death, finding out where he was being held, and paying off the police to the total of $100,000.

The bigger the crime syndicate became, the more protection they needed. As the syndicate gained more attention in the papers, they also gained more attention from the federal government. But the Federal Government, specifically the FBI, under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover, was reluctant to admit any "underworld crime syndicate" existed. Historians explain this away in different ways. There is plenty of evidence that Hoover had a gambling habit and Costello made sure that Hoover continued to win at horse races, delivering the "hot horses" (or sure wins) to Hoover the newspaperman Walter Winchell. The more Hoover won, the more he denied the existence of organized crime or doing anything about it. The other story, the one I like most, is that the syndicate had photos of Hoover parading around in dresses and involved in homosexual activities that also kept him from investigating them. Other than the proof of Hoover's cross-dressing, there is no other support for this theory.

When Prohibition ended in 1933, Costello needed a new way to earn his money along with the rest to the syndicate. He became more involved in gambling. Along with contacts in Louisiana (Huey Long) and Meyer Lansky in Cuba and Miami, Costello had a vested interested in casinos. It is said that he also had vest interests in Las Vegas with Benny Siegel. He set up storefronts, such as grocery stores, and butcher shops, to cover for crap games and card tables placed in the back of the stores. He would set up stools for kids so they could drop their coins into the slot machines he set up.

During the 1950's the syndicate hit some rough times, including the Kefauver Committee. It was during these hearings that Costello became a nationwide celebrity for his "finger ballet." Costello agreed to appear in front of the committee only if the camera did not focus on his face. With not much else to show, the cameras concentrated on his hands, which nervously danced around on the table. Despite his attempt to remain anonymous, Costello became famous for his raspy voice and dancing hands (the voice supposedly used as inspiration for Marlon Brando's portrayal of an underworld boss).

After the Kefauver Committee, Costello was investigated for tax evasion and sent to prison. With Luciano deported and his other partners (such as Joe Adonis) either facing the same fate or worse, Costello started to make some moves to remain in power. Vito Genovese, an under boss for Luciano and Costello, started to make takeover moves for the Luciano crime family. Normally, Costello would have been backed by Willie Moretti, a crime boss just over the boarder in New Jersey, who had 50 to 60 buttonmen, to help him keep the balance and peace. But Moretti suffered from syphilis and began losing his mind and the syndicate feared that if Moretti should be called in front of the Kefauver Committee, he may let out secrets that protected the entire organization. Genovese warned the syndicate that if he should be called to testify that they should dispose of him. Costello needed a new ally -- he turned to Albert Anastasia, the Mad Hatter. Anastasia was the chief executioner of Murder, Inc., and was next on the chopping block during the hearings if Abe Reles continued testifying. Costello saved him once and decided to call in the favor. Costello convinced Anastasia to knock off Vince Mangano and take the helm of the Mangano family, backed by Luciano and himself. With Anastasia's backing, Costello was able to keep power for several years and fend off the greedy Genovese. But that peace would not last.

In 1957, Genovese convinced Carlo Gambino to topple Anastasia, once again, shifting the power back to Genovese. During that same year, Genovese put out a contract on Costello, hiring Vincent "The Chin" Gigante, to kill the Prime Minister. The cocky Gigante fired and missed Costello, calling out to him before he fired, "This ones for you Frank!" Costello, hearing his name, turned his head and the bullet grazed his head. Later, Costello would deny recognizing Gigante, setting the future crime boss free. But Costello got the hint -- he soon started to move out of power, which paved the way for Genovese to move in, which he'd been trying to do since Luciano was put in prison back in 1936. Eventually, Costello would officially retire from the mob, one of the few individuals "allowed" to do so, since membership to the mob was lifelong, whether you liked it or not. But, in truth, Costello was not done yet. He still had one trick left.

First there was the Apalachin Conference, where Genovese was to proclaim his stature as "boss of bosses." As mobsters from all over the country showed up, policemen burst into the scene making a mockery of Genovese's announcement. Those absent from the conference of note were Costello and Lansky, who were already plotting with Gambino to overthrow Genovese. Gambino, realizing that the majority of the underworld was against Genovese becoming the "boss of bosses" new that it was time to shift sides and work with Costello and Lansky. The older mobsters convinced Gambino to set up a fake drug deal and then tipped off the police of his involvement, sending Genovese to prison for 15 years where he would eventually die. Costello, along with the other Dons had beaten Genovese at his own scheming.

Costello would remain a figure in the underworld until his death, but playing a minor role in any decision making. He was retired and wanted to stay that way living out his remaining years on Long Island. The doors of his tomb were later blown off when Carmine Galante wanted to show a sign of force that he was the next "boss of bosses." A few years after that, Galante was shot to death having lunch.