Frank Costello
Frank Costello, an Italian-American crime boss, tried to keep his face off television during the Senate's organized crime hearings. The attempt backfired. Cameras settled on his hands instead, and his fidgeting and evasive answers played live to a huge nationwide audience. Yet this uneasy witness was known in the underworld as "The Prime Minister of the Underworld." Born in Italy, he had risen to the top of a New York crime family. How did he get there? Who were the partners, politicians and rivals who shaped his path? And what finally pushed him into retirement in 1957?
Francesco Castiglia was born on the 26th of January 1891 in Lauropoli, a hamlet of the town of Cassano allo Ionio in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria. In 1895 he crossed to the United States by ship with his mother and his brother Edward. Their father had moved to East Harlem in New York City several years earlier and opened a small neighborhood Italian grocery.
His brother introduced him to gang activity while he was still a boy. By the age of 13 he belonged to a local gang and had started calling himself Frankie. He committed petty crimes and was jailed for assault and robbery in 1908-1912 and 1917.
On the 22nd of September 1914, he married Loretta "Bobbie" Geigerman, a Jewish woman whose parents had emigrated from Germany. In that same year he served ten months in jail for carrying a concealed weapon.
While working for the Morello gang, he met Charlie "Lucky" Luciano, the Sicilian leader of a Lower East Side gang in Manhattan. The two men became friends and partners at once. Several older members of Luciano's mob family disapproved. They were old-school mafiosi who distrusted anyone who was not Italian, and they were skeptical even of non-Sicilians. To Luciano's shock, they warned him against Costello, whom they called "the dirty Calabrian."
Vito Genovese and Tommy "Three-Finger Brown" Lucchese, both Italian Americans, joined the circle. So did the Jewish associates Meyer Lansky and Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel. Together the gang took part in robbery, theft, extortion, gambling and narcotics.
Prohibition arrived in 1920, and the alliance of Luciano, Costello, Lansky and Siegel prospered even further. They went into bootlegging, backed by the criminal financier Arnold "the Brain" Rothstein. Rothstein became a mentor to all four while they did business with the Bronx beer baron Dutch Schultz. Their success also opened up deals with other leading Jewish and Irish criminals, among them Owney "the Killer" Madden and William "Big Bill" Dwyer.
In 1922, Costello, Luciano and their closest Italian associates joined the Sicilian crime family led by Joe "the Boss" Masseria, a top Italian underworld boss.
By 1924, Costello had become a close associate of Dwyer and Madden, the Irish crime bosses of Hell's Kitchen. He joined their rum-running operation, known as "The Combine." That link might have prompted him to adopt the Irish-sounding surname Costello. In 1925 he became a United States citizen.
On the 19th of November 1926, Costello and Dwyer were indicted on federal bootlegging charges. They were accused of bribing two Coast Guardsmen so that liquor could be unloaded from boats in New York Harbor without interference. The largest boat in the Combine fleet could carry 20,000 cases of liquor. In January 1927, the jury deadlocked on the charges against both men.
Dwyer was convicted of bribing a Coast Guard official and sentenced to two years in jail. With him imprisoned, Costello and Madden took over the Combine's operations. That angered Charles "Vannie" Higgins, a top Dwyer lieutenant who believed the job should have been his.
The quarrel set off the "Manhattan Beer Wars." Higgins stood on one side, and Costello, Madden and Schultz stood on the other. Schultz had trouble of his own from Jack "Legs" Diamond and Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll, who rivaled him with help from Higgins. In the end, New York's underworld destroyed the Costello-Madden-Schultz alliance.
In the late 1920s, Johnny Torrio helped organize a loose cartel of East Coast bootleggers called the Big Seven. Its players included Costello, Luciano, Longy Zwillman, Joe Adonis and Lansky. Torrio also wanted a national body to prevent the all-out turf wars that had erupted in Chicago and New York. His idea was well received. In May 1929, Torrio, Lansky, Luciano and Costello hosted a conference in Atlantic City, and the National Crime Syndicate was created.
On the 15th of April 1931, Joe Masseria sat down to play cards at a restaurant called Nuova Villa Tammaro on Coney Island. The Castellammarese War between Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano had broken out earlier that year. In a secret deal with Maranzano, Luciano had agreed to engineer his own boss's death. His reward would be Masseria's rackets and the second-in-command position under Maranzano.
Luciano allegedly excused himself to the bathroom, and Masseria was murdered. The gunmen were reportedly Genovese, Albert Anastasia, Joe Adonis and Siegel. Ciro "The Artichoke King" Terranova drove the getaway car. Legend says he was so shaken that Siegel had to shove him out of the driver's seat.
In September 1931, Luciano received word that Maranzano planned to kill him and Genovese. On the 10th of September 1931, Maranzano summoned Luciano, Genovese and Costello to his office. They knew he intended to have them killed there. Luciano instead sent four Jewish gangsters whose faces Maranzano's people did not know. Lansky and Siegel had helped secure them. After Maranzano's murder, Luciano created The Commission to govern organized crime.
Luciano now led his own crime family, with Genovese as underboss and Costello as consigliere. In 1936, Luciano was convicted of running a prostitution ring and sentenced to a term of 30 to 50 years. He tried to direct the family from prison with help from Costello and Lansky, but found it too difficult. Genovese became acting boss.
In 1937, Genovese fled to Italy to avoid prosecution for a murder in 1934. Luciano then named Costello acting boss, with Costello's cousin Willie Moretti as underboss.
Genovese came back to the United States in 1945. The 1934 murder charges had been dismissed after two witnesses died. He urged Luciano to accept the title of boss of bosses and let Genovese run everything. Luciano refused.
Philip "Dandy Phil" Kastel was Costello's partner in the family's slot machine and bookmaking operations. Costello placed about 25,000 slot machines in bars, restaurants, cafes, drugstores, gas stations and bus stops across New York. In 1934, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia seized thousands of them, loaded them onto a barge and dumped them into the river.
Costello then accepted an offer from Louisiana governor Huey Long to put slot machines throughout that state for 10% of the take. He made Kastel overseer of the Louisiana operation. Kastel had help from the New Orleans mafioso Carlos "Little Man" Marcello. Millions of dollars in profit flowed back to the family from slot machines and bookmaking.
In the 1940s, Costello deepened his relationship with Marcello. Through two companies Marcello owned, Jefferson Music Company and Southern News Service, he controlled pinballs, slot machines and horse-playing handbooks in Louisiana. He also joined Marcello and Lansky as a partner in the New Southport and Beverly Club casinos of Jefferson Parish.
At the 1932 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Luciano and Costello each shared a hotel room with a Tammany Hall delegate. That began connections they cultivated for roughly the next two decades. Costello collected favors and pledges of loyalty from politicians and judges he had helped. One of them was William O'Dwyer, the two-term Mayor of New York City in the 1940s. When other New York crime families came to him for help, Costello could call in those political debts.
Senator Estes Kefauver concluded that Carmine DeSapio, the leader of Tammany Hall, was assisting Costello. Kefauver also found that Costello had become influential in decisions of the Tammany council. DeSapio admitted meeting Costello several times but insisted that "politics was never discussed."
On the second day of his Senate questioning, Costello walked out, claiming he had a sore throat. The day before, he had sparred with the committee's lawyers for hours. When he returned several days later, he refused to answer questions about his net worth. The Senate convicted him of contempt and he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
The hearings also cost Willie Moretti his life. On the 4th of October 1951, the Mafia Commission ordered his murder. Its members worried about his erratic behavior before the Senate committee. They also feared that his advancing syphilis was affecting his brain and might lead him to talk to the press. Costello named Genovese the new underboss.
In 1952, the government began proceedings to strip Costello of his U.S. citizenship. He was also indicted for evading $73,417 in income taxes between 1946 and 1949, which equals about $870,113 in 2024 dollars. He received a five-year sentence and a $20,000 fine. In 1954 he appealed and was released on $50,000 bail.
From 1952 to 1961, Costello moved in and out of half a dozen federal and local prisons and jails. His confinement was interrupted whenever he was out on bail awaiting the outcome of appeals.
In 1956, Joe Adonis, a powerful Costello ally, chose deportation to Italy over a long prison sentence. His departure left Costello weakened. Genovese still had to neutralize one more strong Costello ally, Albert Anastasia. Anastasia had taken over the Mangano crime family after boss Vincent Mangano disappeared and his brother Philip Mangano was murdered on the 14th of April 1951.
In early 1957, Genovese decided to move on Costello. He ordered Vincent Gigante to murder him. On the 2nd of May 1957, Gigante shot and wounded Costello outside his apartment building. The shooting persuaded Costello to hand power to Genovese and retire. Genovese then controlled what is now called the Genovese crime family.
A doorman identified Gigante as the gunman. In 1958, however, Costello testified that he could not recognize his assailant, and Gigante was acquitted of attempted murder.
On the 25th of October 1957, Anastasia was murdered at the barber shop of the Park Sheraton Hotel at 56th Street and 7th Avenue in Manhattan. Carlo Gambino was expected to be proclaimed boss of Anastasia's family at a meeting at Apalachin on the 14th of November 1957. Genovese had called that meeting to discuss the future of Cosa Nostra after his takeover. Police raided it, which damaged Genovese's reputation and postponed Gambino's appointment to a later meeting in New York City.
In 1959, Genovese was convicted of selling a large quantity of heroin. On the 17th of April 1959, he was sentenced to 15 years in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in Georgia.
Costello's Waldorf Astoria penthouse became a place of pilgrimage for old associates. Cosa Nostra bosses such as Gambino and Lucchese visited to seek his advice on important Mafia affairs. Lansky also kept in touch. Costello still held influence in New York's Mafia and stayed busy through his final years. He also took up gardening and displayed his flowers at local horticultural shows.
On the 20th of February 1961, the United States Supreme Court upheld a lower court order stripping Costello of his citizenship. On the 17th of February 1964, the same court set aside a deportation order against him, citing a legal technicality.
In early February 1973, Costello suffered a heart attack at his Manhattan home. He was rushed to Doctors Hospital in Manhattan and died there on the 18th of February. About 50 relatives, friends and law enforcement agents attended a sedate memorial service at a Manhattan funeral home. He is interred in a private mausoleum at St. Michael's Cemetery in East Elmhurst, Queens. In 1974, after his enemy Carmine Galante was released from prison, Galante allegedly ordered the bombing of the mausoleum's doors.
Robert De Niro plays Costello in The Alto Knights, released in 2025. Earlier portrayals include Paul Sorvino in Godfather of Harlem in 2019 and Carmine Caridi in Bugsy in 1991. Feodor Chaliapin Jr. played him in My Brother Anastasia in 1973.
The poet Allen Ginsberg mentioned him in "Hadda Be Playing on the Jukebox," which imagines Costello's syndicate mouthpiece meeting FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover in Central Park. Rage Against the Machine later performed the poem with music on the album Live & Rare. In the 1976 film Mikey and Nicky, Peter Falk's character asks John Cassavetes's character, a mobster in hiding, whether Frank Costello tipped him off about the contract on his life.
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Common questions
Who was Frank Costello?
Frank Costello was an Italian-American crime boss of the Luciano crime family, born Francesco Castiglia on the 26th of January 1891 in Calabria, Italy. He was acting boss from 1937 and retired in 1957 after surviving an assassination attempt.
Why was Frank Costello called the Prime Minister of the Underworld?
Frank Costello earned the nickname "The Prime Minister of the Underworld" through his political connections and his influence among New York's Mafia families. Even after retiring, bosses such as Carlo Gambino and Tommy Lucchese visited his Waldorf Astoria penthouse for advice.
What happened to Frank Costello at the Kefauver hearings?
Frank Costello refused to let his face be filmed, so cameras focused on his fidgeting hands. He walked out on the second day, refused to answer questions about his net worth, and was convicted of contempt of the Senate with an 18-month sentence.
Who shot Frank Costello in 1957?
Vincent Gigante shot and wounded Frank Costello outside his apartment building on the 2nd of May 1957, on the orders of Vito Genovese. Costello then relinquished power and retired, and Gigante was acquitted of attempted murder in 1958.
How did Frank Costello make money with slot machines?
Frank Costello placed about 25,000 slot machines in bars, restaurants, cafes, drugstores, gas stations and bus stops across New York. He later put machines throughout Louisiana for 10% of the take under a deal with Governor Huey Long, bringing in millions of dollars.
Why did Frank Costello go to prison in the 1950s?
Frank Costello was indicted in 1952 for evading $73,417 in income taxes between 1946 and 1949, and was sentenced to five years and fined $20,000. From 1952 to 1961 he moved in and out of half a dozen prisons and jails, with periods on bail pending appeals.
When and how did Frank Costello die?
Frank Costello died on the 18th of February 1973 at Doctors Hospital in Manhattan after a heart attack at his home. He is interred in a private mausoleum at St. Michael's Cemetery in East Elmhurst, Queens.
All sources
58 references cited across the entry
- 1BookInto the Heart of the Mafia: A Journey Through the Italian SouthDavid Lane — Thomas Dunne Books — 2010
- 2BookTop Hoodlum Frank Costello, Prime Minister of the MafiaAnthony M. DeStefano — Citadel Press — June 26, 2018
- 3BookThe Mafia EncyclopediaCarl Sifakis — Facts on File — 1987
- 4BookThe Five FamiliesMacMillan — 13 May 2014
- 5Stolberg, p. 119
- 6News33 MEN ARE INDICATED AS RUM IMPORT RINGNovember 19, 1926
- 7NewsCOSTELLO JURORS CLEAR 8, SPLIT ON 6 IN LIQUOR RING TRIALJanuary 21, 1927
- 8Howard Abadinsky, Organized Crime, Cengage Learning, 2009, p.115
- 980 years ago, the Mob came to Atlantic City for a little strategic planningPress of Atlantic City — 13 May 2009
- 10BookUncle Frank: The Biography of Frank CostelloLeonard Katz — Drake Publishers — 1973
- 11BookFrank Costello: Prime Minister of the UnderworldGeorge Wolf — William Morrow & Company — 1974
- 13NewsConey Island's Big HitMichael Pollak — June 29, 2012
- 14BookThe Last Testament of Lucky LucianoMartin A. Gosch et al. — Little, Brown — 1975
- 15BookMafia dynasty : the rise and fall of the Gambino crime familyJohn H. Davis — HarperPaperbacks — 1994
- 17BookTough JewsRich Cohen — Vintage Books — 1999
- 18NewsThe Commission's Origins1986
- 20BookFive Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia EmpiresSelwyn. Raab — St. Martin's Press — 2006
- 21JournalPolitical Corruption and Organized Crime in Louisiana: The FBI Files on Earl LongMichael L. Kurtz — Summer 1988
- 22BookHavana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the RevolutionT. J. English — Harper — 2008
- 23BookBobby and J. Edgar: The Historic Face-off Between the Kennedys and J. Edgar Hoover That Transformed AmericaBurton Hersh — Carroll & Graf — 2007
- 24BookJ Edgar Hoover: The Man and the SecretsCurt Gentry — Plume — 1992
- 25NewsCarmine De Sapio, Political Kingmaker and Last Tammany Hall Boss, Dies at 95Kandell, Jonathan — July 28, 2004
- 27NewsLucania Sentenced to 30 to 50 Years; Court Warns RingJune 19, 1936
- 28BookThe Mafia encyclopediaCarl Sifakis — Facts on File — 2005
- 29NewsGang-Ride Victim Thrown in BrushJune 9, 1946
- 30ENCOUNTER: FRANK COSTELLO VS. ESTES KEFAUVER When a mobster tried to hide on live TV, his fingers did the talkingHistory.net — 14 November 2016
- 31BookA Man of Honor: The Autobiography of Joseph BonannoJoe Bonanno with Sergio Lalli — St Martin's Paperbacks — 1983
- 32NewsMoretti is Buried in Gangster StyleWilliam R. Conklin — October 9, 1951
- 33Costello Is Released in $50,000 BailJune 20, 1954
- 34NewsAide of Joe Adonis is Found Shot DeadApril 20, 1951
- 35NewsCostello is Shot Entering Home; Gunman Escapes WoundMay 3, 1957
- 37NewsAnastasia Slain in a Hotel Here: Led Murder, Inc.October 26, 1957
- 38NewsGenovese is Given 15 Years in Prison in Narcotics CaseAlexander Feinberg — April 18, 1959
- 39NewsCostello Loses Citizenship PleaFebruary 21, 1961
- 40NewsCourt Sets Aside Order For Costello DeportationFebruary 18, 1964
- 42NewsFrank Costello Dies of Coronary at 82; Underworld LeaderFebruary 19, 1973
- 43NewsCostello Buried After Brief RitesFebruary 22, 1973
- 44BookCrimes of the CenturySteven Chermak et al. — ABC-CLIO — 2016
- 45NewsCarmine Caridi Dies: Actor in 'The Godfather' Sequels And Expelled Academy Member Was 85Geoff Boucher — 29 May 2019
- 46NewsReviews/Film; Of Blintzes, Manicotti and the MobCaryn James — 26 July 1991
- 47NewsThe True Story Behind Robert De Niro's Dual Mob Bosses in The Alto KnightsOlivia B. Waxman — 20 March 2025
- 48NewsKingfish: A Story of Huey P. LongTony Scott — 14 March 1995
- 49News'The Making Of The Mob: New York' Jumps To 2.9 Mil In Live+3 ViewingLisa De Moraes — 22 June 2015
- 50NewsPaul Sorvino obituaryRyan Gilbey — 28 July 2022
- 51BookCollected Poems, 1947-1980Allen Ginsberg — Harper & Row — 1988
- 52BookKnow Your Enemy: The Story of Rage Against the MachineJ. McIver — Omnibus Press — 2014
- 53BookThe Frank Costello StoryBill Brennan — Monarch Books — 1962
- 54BookUncle Frank: The Biography of Frank CostelloLeonard Katz — Drake Publishers — 1973
- 55BookFrank Costello: Prime Minister of the UnderworldGeorge Wolf — William Morrow & Company — 1974
- 56BookFive Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia EmpiresSelwyn. Raab — St. Martin's Press — 2006
- 57Sifakis (2005)Sifakis — 2005
- 58Davis (1994)Davis — 1994