Father of Organized Crime, Lucky Lucianoâborn poor in Sicily, came to New Yorkâs Lower East Side in the early 1920s. His pals were Irish, Jewish and Italianâs criminals.
During WWII, Lucky made a deal with the US Government freeing him from prison, returning to Italy, working for the Allies. At warâs 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." Lanskyâs statement, "Weâre bigger than General Motors," became part of gangster lore.
An incisive portrait of then prosecuting attorney Thomas E. Dewey whose efforts resulted in Lucianoâs 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.
Hickman Powell was a successful newspaper journalist who followed Lucianoâs trial from its inception to the jury verdict making it the most complete account ever printed. He became a close friend of District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey, who gave him a front seat at the trial.