was shot. The Snake was the official underboss at the time.
Joseph Anthony Colombo Sr.
Courtesy of AP Images
Organized crime boss Joseph Anthony Colombo Sr. is shown in 1971.
Persico was sent to prison in the 1980s, but he pulled the strings from behind bars, setting in motion a vicious internal war in the early 1990s that virtually wiped out the family’s active membership from both killings and the increased pressure from law enforcement. Since Persico’s imprisonment, the family has gone through over ten acting and official bosses. The family is now the smallest of the five families.
Colombo family member “Crazy Joe” Gallo had many celebrity friends. He was married in the home of actor Jerry Orbach. Gallo was also the subject of the classic Bob Dylan song “Joey.”
The Genovese Family
The celebrated and infamous Lucky Luciano was the first head of this crime family. When Luciano was sent to prison in 1936, his henchman Frank Costello took over.
Costello was a different breed of don. He was not a micromanager, nor was he into the sensational aspects of being a gangster. He was more like quiet Meyer Lansky, who pulled strings and made bundles of money and stayed out of the headlines. Costello was a “big picture” guy who looked beyond New York City to expand his family’s interests as far west as Las Vegas and as far south as Cuba. Costello was affectionately called “the Prime Minister” because of his diplomatic skills, and his ability to delegate leadership made his family a lot of money.
Vito and Costello
Vito Genovese, the namesake of the crime family, had served as Luci-ano’s underboss, and by all rights he should have succeeded Mr. Lucky as boss. Genovese, however, left the country to avoid a murder charge and was languishing in Italy. After World War II, Genovese came back to America, where he was expected to stand trial for the murder. As often happens in Mafia murder trials, key witnesses were themselves mysteriously murdered. As a result, Genovese remained a free man.
Vito Genovese and Frank Costello vied for control of the crime family for many years. Genovese chipped away at Costello’s power with a series of small but significant moves. A series of hits eliminated many of the top guns in Costello’s corner. But Costello was able to keep control by exerting his influence over other families. This kept the balance of power in Costello’s favor for a few more years.
Frank Costello, born as Francesco Castiglia, preferred negotiation to assassination and was a shrewd and skilled leader of men. (And a lucky one, too.) He survived a shot to the head, which only grazed him, by a hit man who could not shoot straight; Costello lived to tell the tale.
In 1957, Vito Genovese staged an unsuccessful hit on Costello. Costello was shot and wounded in the lobby of his luxury apartment building on Manhattan’s Central Park West. The hit man who missed was Vincent “Chin” Gigante, who went on to be one of the Mafia’s most colorful characters.
But Genovese was able to get rid of one of Costello’s closest allies, Albert Anastasia, boss of the soon-to-be Gambino family. In the sensational barbershop chair hit, Genovese was helped by an Anastasia associate, Carlo Gam-bino, who then assumed control of the family. Gambino then switched sides and joined an alliance with Costello and Meyer Lansky to take out the ambitious Genovese.
Frank Costello decided to retire. Genovese was now the top dog. However, Genovese dabbled in narcotics, which led to his downfall. He was sent to prison after assuming control of the family.
Successors
Genovese continued to control his empire from his jail cell. Mafiosi have often had special privileges while in prison. Through bribery of guards and prison officials, mobsters had access to better food, drugs, phone calls, meeting rooms, and plenty of conjugal visits. This freedom behind bars enabled many of the big kingpins to continue to oversee and run their
Joseph Anthony Colombo Sr.
Courtesy of AP Images
Organized crime boss Joseph Anthony Colombo Sr. is shown in 1971.
Persico was sent to prison in the 1980s, but he pulled the strings from behind bars, setting in motion a vicious internal war in the early 1990s that virtually wiped out the family’s active membership from both killings and the increased pressure from law enforcement. Since Persico’s imprisonment, the family has gone through over ten acting and official bosses. The family is now the smallest of the five families.
Colombo family member “Crazy Joe” Gallo had many celebrity friends. He was married in the home of actor Jerry Orbach. Gallo was also the subject of the classic Bob Dylan song “Joey.”
The Genovese Family
The celebrated and infamous Lucky Luciano was the first head of this crime family. When Luciano was sent to prison in 1936, his henchman Frank Costello took over.
Costello was a different breed of don. He was not a micromanager, nor was he into the sensational aspects of being a gangster. He was more like quiet Meyer Lansky, who pulled strings and made bundles of money and stayed out of the headlines. Costello was a “big picture” guy who looked beyond New York City to expand his family’s interests as far west as Las Vegas and as far south as Cuba. Costello was affectionately called “the Prime Minister” because of his diplomatic skills, and his ability to delegate leadership made his family a lot of money.
Vito and Costello
Vito Genovese, the namesake of the crime family, had served as Luci-ano’s underboss, and by all rights he should have succeeded Mr. Lucky as boss. Genovese, however, left the country to avoid a murder charge and was languishing in Italy. After World War II, Genovese came back to America, where he was expected to stand trial for the murder. As often happens in Mafia murder trials, key witnesses were themselves mysteriously murdered. As a result, Genovese remained a free man.
Vito Genovese and Frank Costello vied for control of the crime family for many years. Genovese chipped away at Costello’s power with a series of small but significant moves. A series of hits eliminated many of the top guns in Costello’s corner. But Costello was able to keep control by exerting his influence over other families. This kept the balance of power in Costello’s favor for a few more years.
Frank Costello, born as Francesco Castiglia, preferred negotiation to assassination and was a shrewd and skilled leader of men. (And a lucky one, too.) He survived a shot to the head, which only grazed him, by a hit man who could not shoot straight; Costello lived to tell the tale.
In 1957, Vito Genovese staged an unsuccessful hit on Costello. Costello was shot and wounded in the lobby of his luxury apartment building on Manhattan’s Central Park West. The hit man who missed was Vincent “Chin” Gigante, who went on to be one of the Mafia’s most colorful characters.
But Genovese was able to get rid of one of Costello’s closest allies, Albert Anastasia, boss of the soon-to-be Gambino family. In the sensational barbershop chair hit, Genovese was helped by an Anastasia associate, Carlo Gam-bino, who then assumed control of the family. Gambino then switched sides and joined an alliance with Costello and Meyer Lansky to take out the ambitious Genovese.
Frank Costello decided to retire. Genovese was now the top dog. However, Genovese dabbled in narcotics, which led to his downfall. He was sent to prison after assuming control of the family.
Successors
Genovese continued to control his empire from his jail cell. Mafiosi have often had special privileges while in prison. Through bribery of guards and prison officials, mobsters had access to better food, drugs, phone calls, meeting rooms, and plenty of conjugal visits. This freedom behind bars enabled many of the big kingpins to continue to oversee and run their
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