Talk:Lucky Luciano

The claims that Luciano helped organize against Mussolini in Italy may be exaggerated. Lucky himself was not the one who had ties and connections with Italia, but had to go through Joe Bonanno and Joe Prefaci.

Lucky actually extorted the United States into having to deal with his mafia. The U.S. government new their docks were not secure and Lucky capitalized on this. He had a ship that was suppose to transport American troops to Europe blown up to show the government that the mafia controlled the docks. They quickly worked out a deal with the mafia and no more sabotage or strikes occurred. Later during the invasion of Sicily, whole towns fell by just going to the local godfather.

Did he also extort the United States to use the European Mafias as anti-unionists, strike-breakers, assassins, "disappearers" of "dissidents", etc? - LamontCranston 20:14 06 Dec 2005 (UTC)

He sure suckered 'em on the docks at home; there was no Axis effort there, 'cause FBI rounded up the agents Abwehr tried to send & the Brits controlled the would-be spymaster, Popov (Tricycle). Trekphiler 08:01, 27 December 2005 (UTC)

That does not answer my question. LamontCranston 18:10, January 7 2006 (UTC)

Under Luciano's reign, the mob used bribery to control some unions around the time of the incident on the SS Normandie. Therefore, it would be easy for the mob to persuade them to end their strikes. They weren't used as assassins by the government, nor did they arrange the disappearances of any dissidents. It was reported that our military and intelligence agencies used his Mafia connections to remove Communist influence in local governments and resistance organizations, but that's about it. User:Anonymous 12:15 AM CST, 6 May 2006.

Siegel and Lansky were known for donating money to the war against hitler and mussolini. Luciano didn't have much of an opinion, he was in jail and getting out was his only concern. After the Normandie incident the Navy Dept approached Luciano (Longshoreman had dropped his name) to help secure the NY docks. He would only help if he got to a new state pen and was allowed visstors. This was the year 1942. In 1943 the Navy department approached Luciano about helping to communicate to sicillian resistance fighters about the impending invasion. The job of the sicillian resistance (many who were mafiosi) was to secure brdges and viaducts for the quick movement of U.S troops to Palermo. These facts can be verified through Luciano's biography and Frank Costello's biography. The U.S navy has never disclosed the liaison.

Interesting to note is the speed of British and U.S troop movement through the sicillian campaign and the casualties. Letting the reader discover these facts themselves is the best way of being convinced.

Hankerchiefs dropped from U.S airplanes prior the invasion of Sicily are rumored to still exist in Sicily in the hands of the Dons that rule today, they are inscribed with a L, said to be the officiado of one Lucky Luciano. Demercurio 00:49, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

L.A. Confidence

I've heard Luciano had a relationship with Thelma Todd, which got her killed when she refused to let him use her club/restaurant as a base. I'd be curious to know more about bootlegging & corruption out there. It's said LAPD was the most corrupt PD in the US, & (almost?) every politician & DA was on the take. Trekphiler 07:53, 27 December 2005 (UTC)

The LA connection with New York was through the Dragna Brothers, this was until firstly Mickey Cohen started enterprises in competition to the Sicillian brothers. Then Ben Siegeal was sent to LA because of his inability to stop doing the dirty work and manage a "crew". Prior to the unification of the so called "syndicate" in 1931 -32, a solely sicillian organisation called "Unione Sicillione" connected the "sicillian born barons" across the U.S. Luciano having direct involvement with Thelma is possible, he murdering her is unlikely, his name being used to intimidate or authorise events was possible but perilous if found out. LA was not Lucky's concern. Managing the east coast was hard enough. The 1933 election was looming and for the syndicate the democratic convention in Chicago in 1932 was their total focus.Demercurio 00:26, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

gangsters

Supposedly Lucky Luciano may have had some involvement with the burning of the SS Normandie ocean liner, thereby proving to authorities his authority on getting things done... Don't know if it is just a rumor.

In Lucanio's book, the Last Testament of Lucky Luciano, Luciano claims that Albert Anastasia (who was serving in the U.S Army at this time) brought this angle to Luciano's attention while he was serving in the Dannemora State Pen (a harsh place where Luciano was feeling the stress). The U.S navy's incompetency was relied upon to perpetrate the incident and their predictable behavior after the event gave Luciano he was out of Dannemora and a reliance on the syndicate to "help" out in the war.Demercurio 00:25, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

SS Normandie

For more information on what happened to this ship, see the entry on Albert Anastasia. User:Anonymous 12:18 AM CST, 6 May 2006

Edits

Someone with knowledge in the area should edit the WWII section... Not only is it erroneously titled (most is about Heroin traficking) but it digresses from the subject.MrPMonday 07:57, 20 May 2006 (UTC)

Lucky was a PIMP!!!

I researched Luciano for a project in school a number of years ago, and there's a few items in the article that conflict with what I remember. I have to say that unfortunately I know longer have the paper I wrote, so I cannot cite sources, but the problems I had were...

- Lucky, a bootlegger?? In all the literature that I've read, Lucky was NOT cited as a bootlegger. His main rackets were prostitution and numbers (which was a mafia ran lottery). I'm not saying that he had no business in bootlegging what so ever, but he was primarily known as a pimp. I vaguely remember some quotes from Capone and other gangsters (as well as movie quotes) which Lucky is refered to as a pimp. I hope that the information in this article wasn't based on movie storylines (like the piece of shit Mobster which was grossly inaccurate). Prohibition appealed, proved to be wrong, and thus a bootlegger is less villinous than the still illegal and morely revolting prostitution racket. A pimp protagonist is far more off-putting than the bootlegger who's simply refusing to follow an unjust law.

- I'm not sure if this is a conflicting bit of information, or simply omitted. Luciano's first incounter with Bugsy was Lucky kicked the shit out of him. I don't remember exactly how the story goes, but Bugsy either refused to pay for services render by one of Lucky's girls or he was herassing one of them. Either way, Lucky beat the shit out of Bugsy. I wonder if Lucky used baby powder on the pimp slapping hand back then??

- Why is there no mention as to Lucky's name "Lucky"? There are two versions, first is that he was lucky with the cards, and second (the much cooler version) stems from an incedent that he luckily survived which his neck was severly slit (which some say caused his lazy eye which is very noticable in that first photograph in the article.

Again, this is from research I did close to 10 years ago, and I no longer have the paper nor the source materails, which is why I'm commenting here instead of trying to make changes. But please, Let me know if you have more information in these and can back me up. --Spectwon 07:09, 9 September 2006 (UTC)

Reading about Arnold Rothstein and following the downward movement of alcohol procurement (from scotland and canada)and distribution throughout the East coast, you can see that Luciano was the number one organiser of bootlegging in New York city, better still read his book in conjunction with Meyer Lansky and Frank Costello's biography's. Pimping was what his soldiers mainly did between guarding liqour shipments and naturally they used their bosses name to exert authority. You probably couldn't earn 10 mill in one year in 1929 just pimping (nickel and dime type rackets). The pimping thing is what Dewey nailed him on, Lucky's flaw was that he did not discipline his "crew" or distance himself from the pimp racket, and captains go down with their ship. Demercurio 00:49, 1 October 2006 (UTC)

Please stop quoting Lucky's "Autobiography" .. it has been proven to be a fictional hoax solely produced by the author.

Recent Edits

I made some changes to the information in relation to Maranzano's plot to kill Lucaiano and friends. Al Capone by historical timeline was no longer a force within the outfit. Frank Costello, a Calabrian, and Meyer Lansky, a Jew, were targeted by Maranzano on racial grounds. the multicultural aspect was one of the main reasons he hated the "young turks" and Luciano in particular. I am happy to make more amendments but will wait any possible collaboration opportunities. My sources for informtion are the biographies of Luciano, Lansky, Costello and Dutch Schultz. The Playboy Illustrated History of Organised Crime by Richard Hammer is a great read. Online you can't go past crimelibrary.com and of course the greatest resource of all - wiki. Demercurio 16:27, 1 October 2006 (UTC)