Frank Costello

After Costello lost his citizenship, the INS sought to deport him on the basis of his two 1954 tax convictions. Administrative authorities and the appellate court upheld deportation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Protagonist is the complainant

A federal court revoked Costello's naturalisation, finding that he had deliberately claimed to work in real estate when he was actually a large-scale bootlegger at the time of his citizenship application in 1925. The Supreme Court upheld the decision.

Attribution

Accused

Senate investigations and FBI accounts describe Costello as a major figure in gambling networks, slot machines and alliances between criminal groups, with a less flamboyant style than Capone but considerable political influence and influence across criminal organisations.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Vincent Gigante fired at Costello at the entrance to his building, but the bullet caused only a superficial injury. The FBI describes the attack as ordered by Vito Genovese. Costello subsequently refused to identify Gigante as the gunman.

Person targeted by the proceedings

Vincent Gigante

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

Following Lucky Luciano's conviction and Vito Genovese's flight to Italy, Frank Costello became the family's de facto boss and maintained a dominant position for approximately two decades.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Following the attack, Costello relinquished operational control of the family to Vito Genovese, who subsequently consolidated the group now known as the Genovese family.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Following the attempt on his life, Costello refused to answer certain questions from authorities about the case. This refusal resulted in another contempt sanction and a short prison sentence.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Accused

Costello was prosecuted for understating family income. The appellate court overturned one of the three counts but upheld those concerning 1948 and 1949; the Supreme Court subsequently affirmed the conviction despite the use of indirect evidence before the grand jury.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

Attribution

Accused

During the televised Kefauver hearings on organised crime, Costello refused to answer several questions, notably about his wealth and debts, temporarily walked out of the hearing and invoked the Fifth Amendment.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Accused

The Kefauver report describes Costello and New York and Louisiana partners as associated with companies openly and illegally operating slot machines and other gambling activities in New Orleans.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Costello participated in the Atlantic City conference, where several major American racketeers discussed cooperation, territories and Prohibition markets.

State of the evidence

Documented

Costello became a US citizen in 1925, declaring that he worked in real estate. Decades later, the Supreme Court upheld the finding that this declaration concealed his actual activity as a large-scale bootlegger.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated