Frank Costello, known as the “Prime Minister of the Underworld,” was a mob boss whose name became synonymous with fear, manipulation, and the shadowy underworld of organized crime. Born in Italy in 1891, Costello rose to power in the grim streets of New York, where his cold ambition and cunning nature transformed him into one of the most dangerous figures in American history. While many mobsters relied on brute force, Costello preferred a far more sinister weapon—his mind.

 

Early Years

Costello’s early years were marked by poverty. His family lived in the tough neighborhoods of Manhattan, and as he grew older, Costello found himself drawn to the world of organized crime. By his late teens, he had become associated with local gangs in New York.

 

Criminal Enterprise

Stepping into the corrupt halls of power within the Genovese crime family, Costello quickly became its de facto leader. His rise was calculated, ruthless, and paved with betrayal. He built a criminal empire not through violence, but through influence—quietly pulling strings behind closed doors, shaping politics, law enforcement, and even business deals to his advantage. He operated in the shadows, controlling illicit enterprises like gambling, loansharking, and racketeering with chilling precision. His dealings were like poison, slowly seeping into the veins of the city, unnoticed yet utterly destructive.

 

Costello’s reign was not without enemies, and it was a betrayal from within that would eventually lead to his downfall. In 1957, an attempted assassination left him gravely wounded, the bullet marking the end of his reign over the Genovese family. Yet even after he was forced into retirement, Costello’s name continued to haunt the underworld, his influence still felt long after he stepped out of the shadows.

 

Frank Costello’s worst crime is often considered his manipulation and control over the intricate web of organized crime and corruption that fueled his immense power. While he was not known for committing brutal, violent acts like some of his contemporaries, his worst crime was the way he quietly orchestrated a system of widespread criminal activities—from illegal gambling and racketeering to bribery and labor unions manipulation. His ability to infiltrate and corrupt political systems and law enforcement left a dark stain on American society.

Arrests

Frank Costello, the infamous mobster and leader of the Genovese crime family, was arrested several times throughout his life, but one of the most notable incidents occurred in 1951. He was arrested for contempt of Congress after refusing to testify before the U.S. Senate Kefauver Crime Committee, which was investigating organized crime. Costello invoked the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering questions about his criminal activities, and his refusal to cooperate led to his arrest. In addition to this, Costello had a history of arrests for various charges including bootlegging and gambling, but he was never convicted for many of these offenses due to his influence and the difficulties in gathering concrete evidence against him.

 

He famously said, “No one gives it to you. You have to take it.” And “When you decide to be something, you can be it. That’s what they don’t tell you in Church. When I was your age, they would say we can become either Cops or Criminals. Today, what I’m saying to you is this: when you’re facing a loaded gun, what’s the difference?”

Death

When Frank died in 1973, the dark legacy of his manipulative reign over New York’s crime scene was sealed. His was a story of a man who quietly poisoned the heart of the criminal empire with his cold, calculating hand—a monster who thrived on power, secrecy, and fear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saint Michael’s Cemetery East Elmhurst, Queens County, New York, USA