The story of Frank Costello, who became the prototype for the Godfather Don Vito Corleone
Frank Costello, the boss of the New York mafia, has been through a lot in his life. He was the subject of government investigations, the main target of clan wars, and there were several assassination attempts on him, one of which resulted in a head wound. Costello never carried a gun and, despite his wild life, died a natural death at the age of 82. He was the prototype for Vito Corleone, the main character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather and the film of the same name by Francis Ford Coppola.
Frank Costello, born Francesco Castiglia in 1891 in Calabria, Italy, emigrated to New York City with his family in 1895. Their new life in Manhattan was not easy, and young Francesco soon joined the Five Points Gang, a street gang led by his older brother. The gang, made up mostly of Italians, quickly drew him into criminal activity.
Costello's youth was turbulent: over the course of ten years, he was arrested several times for robbery, possession of weapons, and assault. In 1918, he tried to change his life by marrying Loretta Gigerman and vowing never to take up arms again. Despite this move, he was never able to break away from the criminal world. By the early 1920s, having changed his name to a more American one, he became Frank Costello and joined the Morello gang.
The 1920s were a golden age for the Mafia, thanks to Prohibition, which banned the production and sale of alcohol in the United States. Costello was heavily involved in the bootlegging of liquor, along with notorious Mafiosi such as Dutch Schultz, Lucky Luciano, and Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel. The gangs controlled vast quantities of bootlegged alcohol, often working with the Irish Mafia. Costello and his allies generously bribed officials to allow the booze to be transported unhindered.
Costello's boss was Joe "The Boss" Masseria, who partnered with Irish whiskey smuggler Bill Dwyer. The scale of the Italian and Irish mob's alcohol trade was staggering. The partners owned river and sea vessels capable of carrying up to 20,000 cases of booze at a time.
To ensure that the smuggling went smoothly, the Mafia had to pay off the authorities generously. The bribes allowed the Coast Guard to turn a blind eye to the alcohol-laden ships. Despite this, Dwyer and Costello were caught in 1926. They were charged with illegal alcohol trafficking, and the case went to trial.
Frank Costello managed to escape punishment - the jury acquitted him of all charges. But his Irish partner was less lucky: he received a prison sentence. Having lost his partner, Costello decided to head the illegal business himself. But he could not get along with the Irish, and this led to a serious confrontation with shootouts and explosions. This conflict became known as the "Manhattan Beer Wars".
As a result of the bloody showdown, Costello finally lost his alcohol business, but his authority in the criminal world increased significantly. In 1929, a war between the groups broke out again. This time, the group of Joe "The Boss" Masseria and the Sicilian Salvatore Maranzano fought for spheres of influence.
Masseria insisted that he was the one who should run the Mafia in New York. He demanded that Maranzano pay him $10,000 for his safety. A conflict known as the Castellammarese War broke out. In it, Costello went over to Maranzano's side, but refused to participate in the elimination of the former boss and his henchmen.
Soon after, Joe Masseria was shot dead in a restaurant. The killer put the ace of spades, which was a kind of "black mark" for the Mafia, into his hand. In 1931, Maranzano was also shot dead, and his place was taken by Lucky Luciano, who made Frank Costello his right-hand man.
Luciano and Costello took the crime syndicate to a new level, expanding the gambling business beyond New York. The Mafia controlled slot machine halls in Florida and even Cuba. Costello managed to enlist the support of Louisiana Governor Huey Long. But the gambling business did not work out in New York itself. The city's mayor, Fiorello La Guardia, refused to make a deal with the Mafia and ordered Costello's machines to be dumped in the Hudson River.
In 1936, Lucky Luciano was arrested and sentenced to 50 years in prison. Vito Genovese took over, but held power for less than a year: under threat of imprisonment, he fled to Italy. Thus, Frank Costello became the head of the most powerful criminal organization in America.
Costello thought more broadly than his predecessors. With a commercial streak, he decided to expand the mafia's influence on legal business. Under him, the mafia began to control the packaging of meat products. In addition, Costello knew how to find a common language with police officers, entrepreneurs, politicians and even judges.
For his extraordinary abilities, he was called the "Prime Minister of the Underworld." Over time, he became not only the most influential, but also the richest gangster in the United States. But this did not protect him from serious troubles, which he got into in the 50s.
In 1950, the U.S. Senate launched a major war on organized crime, led by Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee. The investigation involved interrogating more than 600 gangsters, pimps, accountants, and lawyers with ties to the Mafia. Kefauver's goal was to expose the corrupt ties between the Mafia and the government.
Kefauver managed to convince people connected to the Mafia to testify before the Senate and television cameras. In 1951, 30 million Americans watched the investigation on television. It was such a significant event that students were released from school so they could watch the trial.
The main event of the hearings was the interrogation of Frank Costello, who appeared before the committee in New York in an expensive tailored suit. He was the only mobster who agreed to testify. Costello tried to convince everyone that he was just a businessman, but the evidence said otherwise, and it was obvious that the mob boss was very nervous and clearly disingenuous.
After the Kefauver investigation, Costello was jailed several times, but thanks to his connections and skilled lawyers, he was soon released. However, his publicity and penchant for testifying caused discontent among other mobsters. In 1957, an attempt was made on his life.
Gangster Vincent "Chin" Gigante shot Costello from his car, shouting, "This is for you, Frank!" The shout caused Costello to turn around, and the bullet only grazed his head. Despite the failed attempt, Costello took it as a warning. He forgave both the shooter, Vincent Gigante, and the person who ordered the hit, Vito Genovese.
After this, Costello decided to retire. He left criminal affairs and began to live the life of a wealthy pensioner, living in a penthouse in the Waldorf Astoria building, where he was sometimes visited by old mob friends. On February 18, 1973, Frank Costello died at home from a heart attack.
The legendary mobster influenced not only the criminal world, but also pop culture. Marlon Brando, preparing for the role of Vito Corleone in The Godfather, repeatedly watched the recordings of the Kefauver hearings with Costello. This helped him accurately copy the facial expressions, gestures and intonations of Costello, who became the prototype for the main character of the film.
Frank Costello was not only a mafioso, but also a charismatic personality who managed to leave a mark on culture and politics. What do you think is the secret of his long life and survival in such a dangerous world? Share your thoughts in the comments!