28 APR 2024 · Charles "Lucky" Luciano, born Salvatore Lucania on November 24, 1897, in Lercara Friddi, Sicily, Italy, would become one of the most influential and notorious gangsters in American history. Luciano's family immigrated to the United States in 1906 when he was nine years old, settling in New York City's Lower East Side. Growing up in the impoverished and crime-ridden neighborhood, Luciano quickly fell into a life of delinquency. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade and began engaging in petty crimes, such as shoplifting and pickpocketing. As a teenager, Luciano befriended other young Italian-American hoodlums, including Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel, who would become his lifelong associates in the criminal underworld. In his early years, Luciano worked for Jewish gangster Arnold Rothstein, who recognized his intelligence and ambition. Under Rothstein's tutelage, Luciano learned the intricacies of organized crime, including gambling, loan sharking, and labor racketeering. He also developed a reputation for his cunning and ruthlessness, traits that would serve him well as he climbed the ranks of the criminal underworld. In the early 1920s, Luciano joined the Mafia family led by Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria, one of the most powerful Italian-American crime bosses in New York City. As a member of Masseria's organization, Luciano quickly made a name for himself as a skilled operator and earner, overseeing the family's bootlegging operations during the Prohibition era. However, Luciano grew increasingly dissatisfied with Masseria's leadership style, which he viewed as old-fashioned and ineffective. Masseria's reliance on traditional Mafia customs, such as the "Mustache Petes" (older, more conservative Sicilian gangsters), and his reluctance to work with non-Italian criminals, particularly Jewish gangsters like Lansky and Siegel, frustrated Luciano, who saw the potential for greater profits and power through collaboration. In 1929, a rival Mafia faction led by Salvatore Maranzano launched the Castellammarese War, a bloody conflict for control of the New York underworld. Luciano initially fought on behalf of Masseria but secretly began plotting with Maranzano to eliminate his boss. In April 1931, Luciano orchestrated Masseria's assassination at a Coney Island restaurant, effectively ending the war and positioning himself as a rising star in the Mafia. Following Masseria's death, Maranzano declared himself the "Boss of All Bosses" and reorganized the New York Mafia into the Five Families structure. Luciano was appointed as Maranzano's second-in-command, but he quickly grew wary of his new boss's dictatorial leadership style. In September 1931, just months after Masseria's murder, Luciano arranged for Maranzano's assassination, consolidating his power and ushering in a new era for the American Mafia. With Maranzano out of the way, Luciano set about restructuring the Mafia according to his vision of a more modern, efficient, and cooperative criminal organization. He established the Commission, a governing body composed of the leaders of the Five Families and other influential crime bosses from across the country. The Commission served to resolve disputes, regulate criminal activities, and ensure a more equitable distribution of profits among the families. Under Luciano's leadership, the Mafia underwent a significant transformation. He encouraged cooperation between Italian and Jewish gangsters, recognizing the benefits of working with a more diverse network of criminals. Luciano also sought to minimize the Mafia's public profile, discouraging flamboyant displays of wealth and violence that could attract unwanted attention from law enforcement and the media. Luciano's vision for the Mafia emphasized the importance of treating organized crime as a business, with a focus on maximizing profits and minimizing risks. He expanded the Mafia's interests beyond traditional rackets like gambling and loan sharking, moving into more sophisticated ventures such as labor racketeering, extortion, and narcotics trafficking. Through his alliance with Meyer Lansky and other Jewish gangsters, Luciano also forged connections with corrupt politicians, law enforcement officials, and labor union leaders. These relationships provided the Mafia with political protection and access to legitimate businesses, further strengthening its power and influence. Despite his efforts to maintain a low profile, Luciano's criminal activities eventually caught the attention of Thomas E. Dewey, an ambitious young prosecutor determined to make a name for himself by taking down high-profile gangsters. In 1936, Dewey launched an investigation into Luciano's involvement in a massive prostitution racket that spanned several states. The investigation, which relied heavily on the testimony of several prostitutes who had worked for Luciano, revealed the extent of his control over the sex trade in New York City and beyond. Luciano and several of his associates were arrested and charged with compulsory prostitution, a felony that carried a lengthy prison sentence. In a highly publicized trial, Dewey portrayed Luciano as a ruthless pimp who exploited vulnerable women for profit. Despite Luciano's attempts to bribe and intimidate witnesses, he was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 30 to 50 years in prison. The conviction was a major blow to Luciano's power and reputation, and it effectively ended his reign as the dominant figure in the New York underworld. While serving his sentence at the maximum-security Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, Luciano remained a influential figure in the Mafia. He continued to issue orders and maintain contact with his associates through a network of corrupt prison officials and visitors. In 1942, the U.S. government approached Luciano with an unusual proposition. With World War II raging in Europe and the threat of Axis sabotage on the homefront, the Navy sought Luciano's assistance in securing the cooperation of the Mafia-controlled longshoremen's union to prevent strikes and ensure the smooth flow of wartime supplies. Luciano agreed to the arrangement, leveraging his underworld connections to help maintain order on the New York waterfront. His collaboration with the government during wartime became known as Operation Underworld, a secret initiative that remains controversial to this day. In recognition of his wartime service, Luciano's sentence was commuted in 1946, and he was deported to Italy as a condition of his release. The decision to release and deport Luciano was met with criticism from some quarters, who argued that it sent a message that the government was willing to make deals with criminals in exchange for their cooperation. Upon his arrival in Italy, Luciano settled in Naples, where he attempted to rebuild his criminal empire from afar. He maintained contact with his associates in the United States, including Meyer Lansky and Vito Genovese, and sought to establish new rackets in the postwar Italian underworld. However, Luciano's efforts to reassert his power were met with resistance from both Italian and American authorities. In 1947, he was arrested by Italian police and charged with illegal reentry, having traveled to Cuba without permission. Luciano was acquitted of the charges, but the incident served as a reminder that he was under constant surveillance and that his movements were restricted. In the years that followed, Luciano's influence in the American Mafia began to wane. New leaders, such as Vito Genovese and Carlo Gambino, emerged to take control of the New York underworld, while Luciano remained in exile in Italy. He continued to be involved in various criminal enterprises, including narcotics trafficking and smuggling, but his power was a shadow of what it had once been. Luciano's health also began to decline in the 1950s, as he suffered from heart problems and other ailments. In January 1962, he suffered a fatal heart attack at Naples International Airport, just as he was preparing to board a plane to the United States to meet with his longtime associate, Meyer Lansky. Luciano's body was initially buried in Naples, but in 1972, his remains were returned to the United States and interred at St. John's Cemetery in Queens, New