Lucky Luciano

Italian-born criminal Charles "Lucky" Luciano mostly operated in the United States. The National Crime Syndicate was greatly aided by Luciano, who began his criminal career in the Five Points gang. He also served as the contemporary Genovese criminal family's first recognized boss. The book is based on alleged discussions that Luciano had with Martin Gosch prior to his passing. Luciano is quoted in the book discussing occurrences that happened years after his passing.

It reproduces inaccuracies from Mafia-related books that have already been published and details meetings that Luciano attended while he was incarcerated. The U.S. Constitution's Eighteenth Amendment was passed on January 17, 1920. When the Constitution went into effect, Prohibition continued until 1933. The amendment made it illegal to produce, sell, and transport alcoholic beverages. Additionally, it led to the development of the illicit market for alcohol, giving criminals a new source of money.

Luciano sought to use the knowledge he gained from Rothstein to expand the illegal enterprises started by his group. In addition to Italian gangsters, Luciano was also open to working with Jewish and Irish criminals. His plan was to unite the Italian, Jewish, and Irish gangs under a single national criminal organization. Luciano promised to plan Masseria's demise in return for switching sides. Gunmen shot and killed Masseria in April 1931 at a restaurant on Coney Island while Luciano was in the restroom.

Mafia lord Maranzano paid Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll to kill Luciano Luciano in 1931 after realizing the threat he posed. Coll's murder marked the beginning of the infamous "Night of the Sicilian Vespers," during which Luciano rose to prominence as the top mafia lord in the US. By creating covert relationships with other bosses, Luciano made the decision to silently preserve control through the Commission. He preserved the five crime groups established by Maranzano in New York City. To shield the families from legal action, Luciano vowed to uphold the omertà, or pledge of silence.

Lepke Buchalter was given the order by the Commission to kill Dutch Schultz before he could kill Special Prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey. After being shot in a bar in Newark, New Jersey, Schultz passed away the next day. According to Luciano, Dewey's murder would lead to a severe law enforcement crackdown. Dewey M. Carter started to develop a case of prostitution racketeering after looking into the money flow in the New York/New Jersey prostitution network. Dewey gave Carter permission to raid 200 brothels in Manhattan and Brooklyn on February 2, 1936, gaining him widespread acclaim as a significant "gangbuster".

Detectives from the New York City Police Department brought Luciano from Arkansas to New York on April 17, 1936, in preparation for his trial. Twenty local police officers guarded the detectives to stop a crowd effort to rescue them. On May 13, 1936, the pandering trial for Luciano commenced. Luciano was found guilty on 62 charges of forced prostitution on June 7. The notion that Luciano ever belonged to "the Combination" has been refuted by at least two of his contemporaries.

Luciano was implicated in prostitution racketeering, according to witness testimony at his trial. When Luciano was incarcerated, he used his connections to secure supplies for a church that was being built there. The Office of Naval Intelligence was worried about operatives from Germany and Italy invading the US through the New York docks in 1942. Luciano offered a reduction of his sentence in return for his organization's aid in delivering intelligence to the Navy. It is hotly contested how much Luciano contributed to the military effort.

Lucky Luciano relocated covertly to Havana, Cuba, in October 1946. His goal was to get near to the US so he could regain command of Mafia operations there. In December of that year, Lansky organized a conference of the leaders of the principal crime families in Havana. The stated purpose was to talk mob business with Luciano while he was present. Luciano was detained by Italian police on suspicion of taking part in the shipment of drugs to New York.

Lucky Luciano worked for US and Canadian law enforcement officers for the remainder of his life while living in Italy under close police observation. Frank Costello was ambushed in his apartment in Central Park by Vincent "Chin" Gigante. As Costello turned, Gigante said, "This is for you, Frank," and shot him in the head. It was impossible for Luciano to halt Genovese's ascent to power. On January 26, 1962, Luciano passed away after a heart attack at Naples International Airport.

In order to discuss a movie based on his life, he had gone to the airport to meet with American producer Martin Gosch. One of the top 20 most important builders and titans of the 20th century was Luciano.