Famous Mob Bosses
The nickname of America's most infamous mobster referred to an ugly facial feature. He ruled in a city known for its weather. He gained infamy for a bloody massacre and was finally sent up the river for a white-collar crime.
Though his reckless borrowing led to his still-unsolved assassination, Siegel funded the construction of one of the most luxurious hotels of his time, which helped jump-start the growth of metropolitan Sin City.
Lansky made a fortune by evading taxes on his ambitious gambling empire. He rose to power with the help of another well-known gangster
Luciano, an Italian mobster, began his career with petty crime in a city known for organized crime. He is credited with creating modern organized crime and was the first boss of this family. He helped establish a Mafia ruling body.
His violent temper earned him the nickname "Bugs"-- gangster slang for "completely insane." Moran waged a turf war over the control of his city with his rival enemy, another prominent mobster.
Costello was one of the most influential American mobsters, contributing heavily to the establishment of a major crime syndicate.
Gigante began working for the Genovese crime family after a brief stint as a professional boxer. In his later years, he displayed erratic behavior to avoid prison. He made failed murder attempts on a New York City gangster and the boss of the Gambino crime family.
Known as "the Teflon Don" for his uncanny ability to avoid criminal charges, he was finally brought down when one of his underlings testified against him.
He hated his nickname, but this resident of New York City, the boss of one of the city's Italian-American crime families, was never convicted of a serious crime in his lifetime. He used a legitimate business to get rid of bodies.