Lucky Luciano

Father of Organized Crime, Lucky Luciano—born poor in Sicily, came to New York’s Lower East Side in the early 1920s. His pals were Irish, Jewish and Italian’s criminals. During WWII, Lucky made a deal with the US Government freeing him from prison, returning to Italy, working for the Allies. At war’s end back in America his Cuban Casino connection made him persona non grata. Lucky was behind the infamous Atlantic City gathering of top US mobsters including Al Capone, Meyer Lansky and Frank Costello. They ran crime as a business, structured by Luciano as the "Cosa Nostra." Lansky’s statement, "We’re bigger than General Motors," became part of gangster lore. An incisive portrait of then prosecuting attorney Thomas E. Dewey whose efforts resulted in Luciano’s conviction. This portrait of Organized Crime, was written by top reporter who followed the trial up to the jury verdict, interviewing Luciano, and the prostitutes and pimps who testified against him.