Lucky Luciano

Charles Luciano (November 11, 1896 – January 26, 1962), better known as Lucky Luciano, was a legendary mobster with a long criminal history. Luciano is considered the father of the Modern Crime Syndicate and the mastermind of the massive postwar expansion of the international heroin trade.

Later years

When Albert Anastasia was killed in 1957 and Frank Costello was forced to retire, Vito Genovese plotted to have Luciano killed. However, Luciano, Lansky, and their men arranged for Genovese to be arrested and convicted for selling drugs, quite likely with drugs planted in Genovese's residence.

Related Topics:
Albert Anastasia - 1957 - Frank Costello - Vito Genovese

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Luciano came into conflict with Lansky over the amount of money he was receiving from Mafia operations in the early 1960s, but his failing health prevented him from putting up a fight on the matter. In 1962, Luciano died of a heart attack at the age of 65 at Naples International Airport. He was buried in St. John's Cemetery in the borough of Queens in New York City, after a federal court ruled that his burial on United States soil could not be blocked on the dubious grounds that a corpse is not a citizen of any country and is therefore not subject to immigration control or deportation laws.

Related Topics:
1960s - 1962 - Naples International Airport - St. John's Cemetery - Queens - New York City - United States

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On the day of his fatal heart attack, Luciano had plans to sell the rights of his life's story to a movie maker. The Mob disliked the idea and had tried unsuccessfully to change his mind. It has been hypothesized that Luciano's heart attack was a result of poisoning by the Mafia.

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