Frank Costello Biography - The Prime Minister of the Underworld

Frank Costello, also known as the «Prime Minister of the Underworld», was an Italian-American gangster and crime boss. He was the head of the «Luciano Family», a very powerful crime family of New York. He was a close associate of the Sicilian boss Charlie «Lucky» Luciano. Costello was politically quite influential and wielded immense power. He was born in Italy, and later migrated to the US, along with his family. He was initiated into the world of crime by his elder brother. Starting with petty crimes like theft, assault, and bootlegging, Costello moved on to work for powerful mafia families. He was involved in the rum-running business during the «Prohibition period» and later established himself in the gambling business, and became the money-earner for the «Luciano Crime Family». He befriended many politicians and became a vital link between criminals and politicians. He survived an attempt on his life, and later retired from active crime. Even after his retirement from active crime, he continued to command respect in the underworld till his death at the age of 82.