Guide Note: Charles "Lucky" Luciano (born Salvatore Lucania) was a Sicilian-American mobster. He is considered the father of modern organized crime and engineered massive growth of the international heroin trade.
Fast Facts:
- Born: November 24, 1897 near Palermo, Sicily
- Family emigrated to U.S. in 1906, settling in New York City
- Life of crime started in 1907: He charged Jewish kids a penny or two for his protection to and from school. If they refused to pay, he would beat them up
- Nicknamed "Lucky" after surviving a gangland "ride" in 1929, in which he was beaten, stabbed repeatedly with an ice pick, had his throat slashed, was thrown from a car and left for dead
- Overseer of bootlegging and prostitution for “Joe the Boss” Masseria
- Brought corporate structure and approach to organized crime
- During World War II he helped U.S. naval intelligence end waterfront sabotage in New York
- Maintained considerable control over American drug traffic until his death in 1962