mobs and gangsters

Top 10 Gangsters
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One: Charlie "Lucky" Luciano

Lucky Luciano

Much of the mob as it is known today owes its structure to Lucky Luciano.

Often deemed the father of American organized crime, Lucky Luciano was recently named by Time magazine as one of the Top 20 most influential builders of the 20th century. A rising star during Prohibition in the 1920s, Luciano operated one of the largest bootlegging operations in New York City and was netting more than $100,000 per year before the age of 30. Luciano quickly rose to power and became the head of his own family, changing the face of organized crime by establishing "The Commission," a meeting of the top bosses of New York’s Five Families. While all families had equal power, Luciano unequivocally reigned supreme among them.

In 1936, Luciano was imprisoned on trumped-up prostitution charges and sentenced to 30-50 years in prison. In 1946 and during World War II, he was freed and deported to Italy, agreeing that he would not return to the U.S., where he had lived since he was 10. Instead of heading to Italy, Luciano first detoured to Cuba, where he benefitted from the tourism and gambling markets. He ultimately went to Italy. While there he continued to rule a number of businesses remotely – particularly a heroin ring -- but major power shifts in the American Mafia occurred while he was away. He died at Naples International Airport when he was 62. At that point, he was not at the top of his game, but still remembered as perhaps the most influential gangster of all time.