I have a question;

I see the Costello; and Vito Genovese situation similar to Big Paul; and Neil Dellacroce. Costello controlled the ''white collar'' faction of the family; and Genovese was in charge of the ''blue collar''. Genovese was a captain in title, but held pretty much held the power of a underboss or boss.

Why didn't Costello have Vito whacked earlier if their was extreme tension between the two? Costello knew Genovese was power-hungry and should have sensed a violent move sooner or later. Was it out of respect for Luciano? Luciano was still technically the Official Boss before he got deported; or was Costello afraid to make a direct move? Costello still had Willie Moretti who had a crew of killers in New Jersey; Anthony Carfano; Trigger Mike Coppola; and several other 'white collar'' capo's around. Man-power shouldn't have been a issue and plus; He's a Acting commission member I believe at that point.

I believe with Costello not making a move on Genovese before Willie Moretti was killed; Nearly costed him his life.

I've wondered about the same thing. In addition to Moretti, Anastasia was a Costello ally. Certainly, Costello had the troops to go after Genovese or, at least, let Genovese know that he wouldn't just go away.

I would guess that Costello just wasn't aware of what Genovese was up to. He had legal issues going on plus a life separate to the streets. From what I have read about Genovese, he seems like a cunning guy. He must have just been able to keep to wool over Costello's eyes while plotting against him.

Does anyone know how many murders Costello ordered while boss or acting boss ?

It’s possible he was done , he was wealthy had all the contacts he would ever need to keep his over the top legitimate businesses running.

Totally possible that he was just not that personality type that had to crush or kill everyone around him like many of these guys ...many of these guys came from abuse and extreme poverty hence they become that personality type that have to destroy everything and everyone around them .

In another post, someone clarified that Costello was shot before Anastasia. I looked it up and numerous sources said the same thing. Up until now, the story I always heard was that without Moretti and the Lord high executioner, Costello was without backing. Why didn't Costello and Anastasia retaliate? With Genovese gone, we may never have had the Gambino family.

That's what I think. Costello was wealthy and lived a nice lifestyle, why did he need the streets anymore? He died a free man, in his own bed while Vito Genovese died in a prison cell. So who really won?

Good topic Zavattoni

After Moretti was killed in 1951 Costello moved Vito back up to underboss so I think they had at least some type of working relationship that they both accepted. I'm sure they didn't like each other but for the good of everyone they both made it work. Costello was facing a lot of heat after the Kefauver hearings and testimony and was subsequently jailed after that. When he got out he got hit with tax evasion charges and sentenced to prison. I think he got out on appeal and then found guilty again so during this time he was in the spotlight and in and out of jail. Vito had to be running things in the street and I'm sure loving it that all of the spotlight and heat was on Costello and he was free to run things like he wanted.

With his legal problems I don't think Costello was in a position to do anything against Vito and they both knew it. Like others have said Costello was never really in tune with what was going on in the streets and really had no use for the mob politics. I don't think he was a power hungry guy and becoming boss really fell in his lap. I don't think being boss is something that he would have tried to keep at all costs.

I think if Costello was truly worried about Genovese he would never have moved him back to underboss. Like I said although they couldn't stand each other they did what they had to do to make things work.
Costello had to know though that with the power Genovese was accumulating while he was locked up that there is no way he was going to relinquish that. It was Vito's now. If he wanted to keep the power moving Genovese to underboss was not a smart move.

I think Costello knew all along that his days at the top were coming to an end and I think he was content to hand things over to Genovese eventually anyway. I think Vito sensed this as well but simply got impatient and said I'm not waiting on you anymore and I'm taking what's already mine for good.

I know nothing about the man other then you guys posts but yeah it comes off as a smart business minded wealthy well connected man ....once you gain that .....let the goons be goons !

This is very puzzling, especially since he outed a plot against his ally Anastasia, by Genovese and Lucchese years earlier

By that time Costello had ingratiated himself with the upper class. He'd learned new ways to deal with enemies. The way of the wealthy and politically powerful. Take note of a) how long Genovese lasted on the street as boss, b) where he ended up, and c) how he ended up there. Costello stays retired to keep the peace with the Genovese faction, Carlo is now essentially the top guy with Costello continuing to profit in several business ventures while also being a defacto consiglieri to his old family....while Vito Genovese rots in federal prison.

I have practically zero knowledge of any of them beyond what I read. But I know Vito died in jail. While Costello was living it up in the City. Even first reading this stuff as a teenager, I thought that Costello had the last laugh at Vito.

They say John Torrio was the arbiter between Costello and Genovese. Torrio dies in April 1957 and not long after that Vito Genovese sends the Chin to pull the trigger. There was a little over two weeks between Torrio dying and the attempt on Frank Costello. If the story is true that Johnny Torrio was the arbiter, then it would make sense for Vito Genovese to wait, and only chip away small parts of Costello's powerbase. Torrio was both respected and feared, he was having problems with the Profaci family, mainly Frank Profaci for an unknown reason. Torrio was living in Brooklyn after he left Chicago. He could have joined either the Gambino or Genovese crime families but the logical and smart move would have been to join the Genovese crime family.

Where does this come from? I've never read anything that said Torrio was involved in anything like this outside of Chicago(Toodoped has found in his research that Torrio POSSIBLY came back to Chicago with a Genovese member to help settle a 'cold war' between The Tuna and Ricci), other than the possibility that he was made into the Genovese.

To trip is very interesting, way did he retire as boss of Chicago, come out of retirement and joined the Genovese? Did he need Capone's approval???

Torrio

Who is 'they', that supposedly said this?

Technically Torrio was never boss of the Chicago Mafia. And Capone didn't become the city's mafia representative until 1930.

in the 50tys people transferd familys when ever they moved to another familys territory it seems. read alot about it in the mary ferrel files. i dont know about this case but if torrio moved back from chicago to brooklyn and was making money in any of the lcn rackets he most likely was released/transferd from the chicago family to 1 of the nyc family. ray p was on wire in early 60tys talking alot about transfers. he himself was made in the nyc familys and transferd to phil buccola in boston then took over the family in 1954. think i read costello made him back in 30tys

Torrio left in 1925 and then Masseria made Capone in 1928/29. Torrio was never made in Chicago.