On March 13, Frank Costello, alias Francisco Castaglia, reputedly the leader of organized crime in New York, testified. Costello had little in the way of an actual criminal record, but step by step he had moved from apprentice to bootlegger to slot-machine operator to gambling-house owner. He had been Lucky Luciano’s top lieutenant, and when Luciano had been deported, Costello had taken over as America’s top racketeering figure. By 1950 his influence at Tammany Hall was pervasive. As he became more successful, he diversified his business interests, moving into more legitimate fields.
