Ten of the most famous gangsters. The most powerful gangsters in the world The most dangerous gangsters of all time

Puzo Mario's novel "The Godfather" and the film trilogy of the same name have become cult works for many generations. From television screens and the pages of novels, a world of brutal murders, drug cartels and gangsters, ruled by powerful and influential “Dons,” entered our homes forever. Vito Corleone is just an image created by the author's imagination. But is everything in the novel fiction?

Gangsters really existed - that's a fact. And many American cities still preserve the memory of them and their deeds. Behind the fictional “Dons” there are real events and facts.

Many stories in magazines, books and on TV are based on events that once took place and people who wandered the most dangerous streets of American cities. Streets filled with murder, smuggled alcohol, fierce competition, in which the most intelligent and cunning people of their time participated. It's all part of the dirty and violent world of gangsters. Are you ready to plunge into the exciting fates of dozens of the most powerful, successful and incredibly cruel gangsters in the world? So, let's go!

Reginald "Reggie" Kray and Ronald "Rony" Kray were twin brothers who lived and worked in London. During the 50s and 60s, the Kray brothers created the gang "The Firm", a name similar to the names of countless gangs of the time and intended to demonstrate the influence and reputation of the gang. These people were involved in arson, murder, blackmail and armed robbery.

The Kray brothers opened nightclub in London (a rather unusual occupation for gangsters of that time), which was often visited by many film and show business stars, including Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. Frank Sinatra definitely gravitated towards the gangster circle of the time and maintained friendly relations with many.

Rotating in such a society, the Kray brothers eventually became famous themselves. They appeared on TV shows many times, something that no other gangster on our list seems to have done. It would seem that they could have achieved incredible success, but the end of the Kray brothers was sad... In 1968, they were sentenced to life imprisonment. In addition, Reggie was diagnosed with cancer. He was released from prison 8 weeks before his death. His brother Rony was sent to Broadmoor Hospital for treatment of schizophrenia, where he died a few years later.

Gangster nicknames: Doctor, Patron, Don Pablo, Senor

Pablo Escobar is a gangster who lived relatively recently. Also known as the "King of Cocaine", Escobar led the Medellin Cartel. He was an incredibly powerful drug king who ruled a vast empire between the 1970s and 1980s of the 20th century. This continued until the end of 1993, when he was shot and killed. There is still no exact information whether it was suicide or whether he was killed by the police. The story of his death remains a mystery. A few years before his death, he was recognized as one of the fittest criminals in the world. According to Forbes magazine, his fortune was estimated at $3 billion.

Gangster Nickname: Frank "First Minister" Costello

In Italy, the boy was born under the name Francesco Castiglia. At the age of 4, his family moved to New York. He grew up on the tough streets of New York during the very difficult years of the economic crisis. Later, through a series of events, he would become one of the most famous gangsters of all time. Frank Costello, the name he later adopted, was childhood friends with fellow gangster Charlie Luciano. Subsequently, Costello earned a reputation in the gangster world and made a large fortune through smuggling alcohol, gambling, participating in several major New York gangs: the Morello gang, the Lower East Side gang and joint affairs with the Luciano family.

Gambino was a real gangster, flesh and blood. He was born into one of the Sicilian mafia families. It is therefore not surprising that he began to take part in “family” affairs from an early age. At the age of 19, he already became a full member of the gang, which was very unusual: such young members had never been accepted into the family. At the same time he moved to New York.

After a short, relatively “quiet” life in New York, Gambino became involved in the murder of Albert Anastasia, the Don of one of the most famous Luciano gangster families. Thus, in 1957, Gambino himself became a Don. In the gangster world, reputation and ego played a very big role. And since Gambino had both, the famous family decided to change their last name to Gambino. Gambino successfully ruled the family for another 22 years before his death.

Gangster nickname: "Accountant"

Mayer Lansky is one of the few famous gangsters born outside the United States, England or Italy. He was born Mayer Sukhovlyansky in Belarus and moved to New York with his family at the age of 9. Lansky started out in the Bugs and Meyer Mob and the National Crime Syndicate.

Lansky's forte is finance and gambling. He built a huge gambling empire, which spread its branches all over the world. He also managed to involve Swiss banks in his dirty deals. Lansky is known for his incredible intelligence and is recognized as the most cunning and resourceful gangster of all time. This is evidenced by the fact that Lanksy did not spend a single day behind bars. And this was commonplace for most gangsters.

Gangster nickname: Bugsy

Benjamin Schiegel, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, earned his nickname "Bugsy" thanks to his unpredictable nature. He was very powerful and was involved with Mayer Lansky's Murder Incorporated gang and also worked with the Luciano family. His specialization: trade in illegal alcohol and contract killings. However, he left a memory of himself that is associated not only with his criminal acts.

Flamingo is one of the very first casinos built in Las Vegas and Schiegel invested money in its construction. Thanks to this, he had many famous friends and acquaintances: singer Frank Sinatra, actors Clark Gable and Gary Grant. He was certainly a man with two different sides to his nature: a gangster and, at the same time, a man from high society. But nevertheless, his sworn enemies got to him and he was killed in 1947. His death remains mysterious to this day, and his life is a gripping detective story.

Gangster nickname: "Gentleman John", "Hare"

You may remember John Dillinger from his role as Johnny Depp in the 2009 film Public Enemies. And if John Dillinger turned out to be famous enough for a Hollywood star to undertake to play his role, then he is certainly quite suitable for our list. The active phase of Dillinger's life occurred during the Great Depression in the United States. He was known as a gangster and bank robber. His life was very short - he was shot dead at the age of 31. He has two escapes from prison, as well as an affair with his own stepmother. It seems this man knew absolutely nothing about morality...

Gangster nickname: "Lucky"

Charles Luciano is considered the father of organized crime and therefore he fully deserves his place on this list. At the young age of 10, Charles and his family move from Sicily to New York's Lower East Side. It was thanks to him that the entire New York mafia was divided into 5 famous families. Naturally, after organizing the entire mafia in a similar way, Luciano headed one of the families - the Luciano family.

Charles Luciano was an incredibly powerful man. He is so influential that during World War II, the US Navy turned to him for advice. Despite the fact that Luciano was in prison at that moment... For his useful advice and assistance, he was subsequently released. But he was deported to Italy, where he spent the rest of his life.

Gangster nickname: Scarface

Without a shadow of a doubt, Al Capone is one of the most... famous gangsters in the world. He embarked on a criminal path at the age of 14, attacking a teacher at school - of course, even then this was a very alarming omen. He later joined the New York gang Five Points. His main activities were illegal trade in alcohol, brothels, and contract killings.

At the end of his life, Al Capone was in Alcatraz prison, but was released 8 years before his death. Towards the end of his life he suffered from illness. He was a very smart and tough man who managed to achieve enormous power during his life.

Jesse James was one of the world's first famous gangsters. He lived during the Wild West and participated in the American Revolutionary War. He later became a member of the James-Younger gang. James participated in bank robberies, stagecoaches and train attacks, which made him a legend during his lifetime.

The most legendary and influential mafiosi in history

Currently, there are many different organized organizations in the world. criminal gangs. Each such organization has its own ideological inspirer and leader (boss). It should be noted that some of these bosses of the criminal world created and are still creating entire criminal empires, keeping both ordinary citizens and government officials in fear. They live by their own laws, and violation of these laws is punishable by death.

The reference and information portal Samogo.Net invites you to learn about the most legendary and influential mafiosi in history.

Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Pablo Escobar

Al Capone (Alphonso Gabriel "Great Al" Capone, 1899 – 1947)
This is the most famous and legendary mafioso of the 20th century. His main activities were bootlegging, gambling and prostitution. He was the organizer of the "Valentine's Day Massacre", during which 7 influential gangsters from a rival gang were shot and killed. He was one of the first gangsters to engage in “racketeering,” as well as money laundering through a network of laundries. This mobster is also known by his nickname "Scarface", which he received for the scar on his left cheek. Al Capone terrified and feared peaceful citizens and the government for quite a long time until he was sent to prison for tax evasion.

Lucky Luciano (Charles "Lucky" Luciano, 1897 – 1962)
Luciano was born in Sicily and moved to America, he became one of the first founders of the underworld (mafia). He received the nickname Lucky, which translates as “Lucky”, after surviving torture by gangsters. Subsequently, Luciano became the boss of the ruthless Cosa Nostra, which exercised total control in all areas of the criminal world.

Pablo Escobar (Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, 1949 – 1993)
This is the most elusive and ruthless Colombian head of the Medellin cocaine cartel. He set up drug supplies all over the world. Drug trafficking was carried out on a global scale using aircraft and submarines. During his career, he was accused of involvement in the murders of more than 1,200 government officials (judges, prosecutors, police officers, presidential candidates, ministers). In 1989, it was estimated that Escobar's fortune was worth more than $15 billion.

John Gotti, Carlo Gambino

John Gotti (John Joseph Gotti, 1940 – 2002)
In 1985, John Gotti took over the Gambino family. Throughout his reign, this family remained one of the most influential. Repeated attempts by the police to accuse Gotti of wrongdoing continually failed, so he long time managed to avoid deserved punishment.

Carlo Gambino (Carlo "Don Carlo" Gambino, 1902 - 1976)
Gambino managed to capture a number of very profitable areas of activity. After this, the Gambino family became the most powerful criminal community. At its peak, the Gambino clan controlled a number of major American cities, including Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.

Meir Lansky, Joseph Bonanno

Meir Lansky (Meyer Lansky, 1902 – 1983)
Meir was born in Russian Empire, in Belarus. Having moved to the USA, he created the National Crime Syndicate, and also became the founder of the gambling business in the States. Lansky is known as the largest bootlegger of the Prohibition era.

Joseph Bonanno (Joseph Bonanno, 1905 – 2002)
Bonanno organized a criminal community that still continues to operate in the United States. Joseph successfully led the family's criminal activities for 30 years. Subsequently, he voluntarily retired from family affairs and lived in his huge villa. Joseph Bonanno is recognized as the richest mafioso in history.

Alberto Anastasia, Vincent Gigante

Alberto Anastasia (Albert Anastasia, 1902 – 1957)
Albert Anastasia headed the Gambino family and had the nickname “Chief Executioner” because he was involved in 700 murders. Alberto's close friend and mentor was Lucky Luciano. Anastasia specialized in contract killings of bosses of other families.

Vincent Gigante (Vincent Gigante, 1928 – 2005)
Since 1981, Vincent led the Genovese family. He received the nickname "Crazy Boss" for his inappropriate behavior. This behavior, as well as certificates of insanity, allowed Gigante to avoid a real prison sentence for 7 years. At the same time, Vincent controlled the criminal activities of all major US cities.

The term "gangster" is used primarily to refer to members of criminal organizations in the United States, Italy, Latin America and other countries associated with Prohibition or its American offshoot. Italian mafia. Here are authentic crime photographs from the early 20th century. Bright representatives of the criminal world and very colorful personalities...

Pictures of “American Gangsters and Mafia Men” are almost hundred years ago. All photographs of criminals of the early 20th century were taken after arrest between 1920 and 1928.

Seasoned gangster Stanley Moore from Chicago, nicknamed “The Inquisitor,” was responsible for the execution of debtors and people who “stood in the way” of the mafia. From the criminal case note: He is distinguished by extreme cruelty and does not compromise.

Prostitutes working for the mafia, during sexual intercourse, lured valuable information from clients and “leaked” it to criminal patrons.

The owner of a well-known brothel in her circles personally sent 7 people to the next world - by poisoning. Everything is motivated by the goal of robbery and profit.

Mafia members who controlled parts of New York were responsible for labor unions, alcohol and tobacco supplies. Murders and armed raids were the everyday profession of these “noble” men. We were friends with John Dillinger.

Mr. Sing is a mercenary and generalist. He worked for the mafia, skillfully eliminating competitors, police officers and officials. He poisoned the unfortunate people with various poisons, using Asian specifics

The leader of the Chicago gangsters, Smith (Bone Hand) and his assistant Jones, were engaged in “protection” of dens with girls, gambling, drugs, robberies of cash collectors and murders of rich Americans for profit. The note in the criminal case says: They have the gift of instilling fear, they are very dangerous, they will kill without a second thought.

This sweet lady met men on the street, flirted and invited them to her place for “tea”. She treated guests to wine or tea with arsenic. She stole and sold her belongings to buyers of stolen goods, all the way down to the laces of her victims.

The owner of a dashing bar on the outskirts of New York, Mrs. Turner, worked until the last client, and together with her assistant they often killed in the “Meat Cutting Room” for the purpose of robbery. The note in the criminal case says: If he finds out that you have cash on you, you are dead.

The man in the middle is the leader known as "Bloody Fletcher". His gang of gangsters has a huge number of contract killings and kidnappings for ransom. The gang did not hesitate to steal children, high-ranking officials and high-ranking police officers. The note in the criminal case says: Do not put them together, only alone, they are very dangerous and cruel, they can kill their cellmates in a dispute.

The man in short trousers is an accountant for the Chicago Mafia. In prison, under pressure from the police, he repented, but immediately after, he was found hanged by his cellmate. On the chest there was a scrawled inscription: “I said everything and fell silent forever.”

And that's pretty early period photos. April 1865, Lewis Powell, Confederate patriot, accomplice in Lincoln's assassination, three months before execution by hanging.

Smith is a senior rank-and-file fighter of the mafia's "shooters." The note in the criminal case says: He is distinguished by his abilities of suggestion, cunning and mercilessness towards the enemies of the mafia, he shoots very accurately.

The most dangerous, ethnic and brutal gang of two Farlane brothers. They traded in robberies on the roads and in remote areas of the states. Apparently they didn’t have time to earn anything, since they walk around in torn rags and holey shoes.

Thieving prostitutes. They drugged clients by shaking the contents out of their pockets. They worked for the mafia, the most valuable and talkative clients were handed over to the criminals.

Mafia prostitutes. They met rich clients in restaurants, began to have affairs with them, after which the affair ended in a bloody massacre with the theft of all the contents in the apartments of the “lover’s grief”.

The 18-19 year old prostitutes from the brothel were engaged in theft, not creation.

Big hardened gangsters from Chicago. More than once they protected John Dillinger's gang from the police. Oversaw workers' unions and gambling. They were closely involved in prostitution, armed robberies, and providing protection for businessmen and drug dealers. The two on the right are two brothers who became famous for beating a police informant to death with butcher hooks, and then hanging him on the main street with a sign on his chest: “He spoke a lot and all to the wrong people.” The note in the criminal case says: Very dangerous and ruthless, despite their courtesy and intelligence.

Famous gangsters from Chicago. They did not disdain anything, they robbed collectors, bank branches, and jewelry stores. The main feature: they killed everyone, leaving no witnesses.

A lone thief, he climbed onto the first and second floors of the victims’ apartments, strangled them and took away everything valuable from the apartments. Why he was photographed in the toilet remains a mystery. The criminal case tag says: First-class rock climber and strangler.

Seasoned car thief Fitch, nicknamed (Smooth) from Chicago. He worked for the mafia, obtaining stolen cars for their dark deeds. He also stole cars and then sold them for parts.

Ross is a mafia lawyer, nicknamed “The Old Man.” For a long time he did not want to testify against members of a large group of gangsters from Los Angeles, but after testifying against its members, his entire family was found dead in the center of the city in their home. A month later he was strangled by fellow inmates while sleeping. Scrawled across his chest was the inscription: “I just liked to talk a lot.”

Insulted wife. After she found out that her husband was repeatedly cheating on her, she applied “Gestapo torture” to the unlucky man, although there was no particular smell of them at that time. She got her husband drunk to the point of unconsciousness, filled the bathtub with boiling water and “brewed” him to death. The husband died without really understanding what was going on. She herself came to the police to confess and told everything.

Feytrill is a young thief, a burglar. At the time of arrest she was 16 years old. After completing his sentence, he was caught stealing again in 1928.

Mr. Faleni - first killed his first wife, served time. Then he married again and killed the second one. I never got into the Guinness Book of Records, although I probably had the desire.

Sydney Kelly, a very dangerous gangster from Los Angeles. Worked closely for the mafia in other states. On his account: contract killings, armed attacks, drugs and pimping. Knew and did unproven affairs with John Dillinger.

Gracie and Dalton are very serious “colorful” gangsters from Los Angeles, they were part of the elite of the American mafia. They were involved in workers' unions of factories and factories, gambling, hippodromes, and the finances of mafia groups. They did not hesitate to personally kill a caught informer or competitor.

“Debt bouncers” of businessmen and mafia debtors. They were engaged in confiscating money, health and sometimes the lives of debtors. The note in the criminal case says: They are very dangerous, they have the gift of persuasion and severe psychological pressure.

Buyer of stolen goods, worked for the mafia. He bought everything from prostitutes and thieves for resale.

A thief is a burglar. He stole and, if necessary, killed homeowners. The note in the criminal case says: Very cunning, dexterous, loves to pretend to be mentally ill for the effect of pity.

Little Schmidt is a homeless child, a thief. He worked for the mafia, was a courier for transferring valuable notes between shops and dens. When caught by the police, he immediately ate valuable notes with instructions.

Mr. Skukerman - engaged in securities fraud and port fraud for the mafia.

A twenty-year-old shoplifter and residential thief. He has a record of theft from homes and shops, pickpocketing and rape. The criminal case note says: Particularly dangerous, dexterous, cunning, prone to escape and panic.

Murray - burglary, burglar. The peculiarity of this character is that he spent all his loot on drinking and prostitutes. He never managed to get rich due to his weaknesses.

Vera is a thief, a swindler. She gained the trust of apartment residents by pretending to be a new neighbor, while carefully cleaning out their homes. She participated in robberies with the mafia in jewelry stores, and took on “distraction maneuvers” during robberies.

Walter Smith is a most dangerous bandit, a terror on the streets. In specifics, there were street robberies and contract killings from the mafia. He didn’t like weapons, he killed people with his bare hands, carefully twisting their heads like roosters in dark alleys. The note in the criminal case says: Very dangerous, has pronounced sadistic tendencies, can bite, has no sense of fear, can be imprisoned alone.

Ellis is an authority in the Chicago gangsters, a favorite of women. He was involved in organizing crimes, inciting accomplices to commit crimes, and had complete control over the division of the loot. The criminal case note says: Particularly cruel and dangerous, outstanding leadership qualities, does not tolerate the police and the law.

Lucky, aka Charles Luciano, is an American criminal of Sicilian origin, one of the leaders of organized crime in the United States. The list of his crimes included racketeering, robbery, drug trafficking, organizing underground gambling houses, pimping, smuggling and many other types of criminal activity. Luciano was the most powerful intellectual in the underworld.

Al Capone
Full name: Alfonso Gabriel Capone
Nickname: "Big Al"
Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York USA
date of birth: January 17, 1899
date of death: January 25, 1947
The powerful wave of crime that swept America from 1924 to 1936 gave birth to Al Capone, the “boss of bosses” of the US criminal world, the leader of the largest and most powerful criminal organization in the world, Cosa Nostra, translated as “Our Cause.”
Al Capone traded in smuggling (bootlegging), pimping and gambling.

IN early years I started out as a bouncer and had great physical strength, which I often resorted to! He received his famous scar on his face in a knife fight with criminal Frank Galluccio. Al was very ashamed of this story and therefore told everyone that he received the scar in the First World War in “The Lost Battalion.” Although historians claim that he was not in the war! Al Capone supplanted his boss Torrio and took his place.

Under Alcapone, the war between gangs and the elimination of competitors acquired a war of unprecedented scale. Several thousand soldiers were killed! The practice of eliminating undesirable elements for the mafia included machine gun grenades and car explosions. Alya was suspected of at least 2 murders. They say he took part in the “Valentine’s Day Massacre” when bandits dressed in police uniforms shot their competitors near the wall who thought it was a police raid!

Alcapone was always under the supervision of the authorities and could not spend all his illegal money, having no income, for this he opened a network of laundries, the financial outcome of which cannot be monitored due to their high attendance due to need and low prices, so it was easy to launder money through them. He is credited with saying "It's just business! Nothing extra!"

In 1931, Capone was jailed for 10 years for tax evasion. In 1934 he was transferred to the famous Alcatraz prison. left it seven years later.
On January 21, 1947, Capone suffered a stroke, after which he regained consciousness and even began to recover, but on January 24 he was diagnosed with pneumonia. The next day, Capone died of cardiac arrest.

John Torrio
Full name: Giovanni Torrio
Nickname: "Papa Johnny"
Place of birth: Chicago, Illinois
date of birth: January 20, 1882
date of death: April 16, 1957 (age 75)
Known as "The Fox" due to his keen intelligence and diplomatic connections. Torrio, one of the founders of the Chicago Organization, began working as a doorman and bouncer. Soon he saved up money and opened his own billiard room. This is where he began his illegal gaming business, prostitution and bookmaking.

He took Al Capone to work in Chicago because he had problems with the law! Al became Johnny's bouncer in a brothel, and then the manager of his brothels, and soon after the shootout, Johnny had to retire and Al Capone replaced him.
After the adoption of Prohibition in America, Johnny realized what benefits could be gained from this by smuggling alcohol. His partner and relative Colosimo was against this, Johnny realized that he needed to be removed since he could interfere, and in 1920 Colosimo was killed.
Torrio thought about expanding the influence of his organization, but 2 more groups ruled in the city and a shaky alliance was concluded between them. But soon Dion O'Banion, the leader of the northern group, deceived Johnny Torrio. Torrio ordered O'Banion to be killed. On November 10, 1924, O "Banion was killed. After this, a bloody War began that lasted several years. In this war, Johnny was shot, but he survived, after he was cured, he served a year, when he came out, he handed over all the affairs to Capone, and he himself went to Italy .

In the 1930s, he returned to the United States and proposed that all the leaders of large gangs create a Crime Syndicate in New York that would unite all the gangs. This proposal was accepted and he enjoyed great respect in the criminal community.
In 1957, he had a heart attack while sitting in a barber's chair awaiting a haircut. Johnny Torrio died hours later in an oxygen tent at the hospital

Enoch Johnson
Full name: Enoch Lewis Johnson
Nickname: "Naki"
Place of Birth: Norfland New Jersey
Date of birth: January 20, 1883
date of death: December 9, 1968 (age 85)
Large politician from Atlantic City, who was almost openly a partner of many famous gangsters. He is also famous as a ladies' man and partygoer. He received the nickname "Nucky" because of his name. In 1905 he became his father's deputy sheriff. Then he took over his position in 1908. After him, his brother took over the post of sheriff.

In 1911 he became the leader of the Republican Party and the boss of Atlantic City. He held the post of chief treasurer, director of the bank (there were many posts) As the leader of the Republican Party, Nucky was responsible for the election of several Governors and Senators.
During the time of Prohibition in America, Atlantic City began to flourish even more; every bar and restaurant sold Whiskey. Everything was completely corrupt and in this city the authorities made concessions on the sale of alcohol. Johnson had a percentage of every gallon of liquor sold in the city. He was involved in corruption and bribery.

Johnson and Capone on the pier

Nucky rode in an expensive limousine, wore expensive clothes, lived in a suite at the most expensive hotel, the Ritz. He was generous to those in need, for which the townspeople loved him. In 1927, he joined the largest criminal organization of liquor dealers and racketeers, the so-called “Big Seven” (Capone was a member of it, so apparently we already know what will happen in the continuation of the series). Why did he come under close surveillance by the federal service?
On May 10, 1939, he was accused of tax evasion. In 1941 he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison. On August 15, 1945, he was released on parole. Yes, and I forgot to say, he always wore a Red Carnation, after his release he continued to wear it! Johnson died on December 9, 1968.

By the way…
As in any activity, including criminal activity, gangsters had prices for certain types of services. Here, for example, is what the gangster “price list” was like in the 30s:
beating - $2;
two black eyes - $4;
broken nose and broken jaw - $10;
ear tearing - $15;
broken arm or leg – $19;
bullet in the leg - $25;
knife wound - $25;
“large work” – $100 or more

If you often buy video and DVDs, then you've probably seen a lot of films about the mafia. The trilogy "The Godfather", "Casino", and "Bugsy" became popular. Why have so many films been made about these bandits? Who are the most famous gangsters of all time?
To get into this list the gangster had to leave a noticeable mark on the history of the mafia. Most of the gangsters presented carried out their activities in America.

Number 10 - Vincent "The Chin" Gigante (1928 - 2005)
Vincent Gigante was born in New York in 1928. He was a man with complex character: Dropped out of school in ninth grade, after which he began boxing. Won 21 of 25 light heavyweight fights. From the age of 17 he was a member of a criminal gang, and at the age of 25 he was first arrested.
Gigante's first significant case as a member of the Genovese family was an attempted murder of Frank Costello, but he missed. Despite this, his rise in the Genovese family continued until he became first a godfather and, in the early 1980s, a consolire (Italian for advisor).
After mafia boss Tony Salerno was convicted, Gigante became the boss. What made Gigante so famous? After escaping jail time by pretending to be insane in the late 1960s, he continued to act crazy, such as walking the streets of New York City in a bathrobe. It was because of this fact that he received two more nicknames: "Weirdo" and "King of Pajamas." It was only after being convicted of racketeering in 2003 that he admitted that his mental health was fine.
Gigante died in prison on December 19, 2005 due to heart problems. Because of this and thanks to his lawyers, he was supposed to be released in 2010.
A film about him: Gigante's prototype was used for the television film Bonanno: A Godfather's Story (1999), episode Law & Order.

Number 9 - Albert Anastasia (1903 - 1957)
Albert Anastasia was born in Italy in 1903 and moved to America as a child. He was sentenced to 18 months for the murder of a longshoreman on the Brooklyn docks (Sing Sing prison). He was released early due to the mysterious death of a witness. Albert Anastasia (aka "Lord Executioner" and "Mad Hatter") gained fame thanks to numerous murders, after which Joe Masseria's gang hired him. Anastasia was very loyal to Charlie "Lucky" Luciano, so he had no problem betraying Masseria - he was one of the four men sent to kill him in 1931.
In 1944, he became the leader of a group of murderers, which even had its own name Murder, Inc. Although Albert Anastasia was never prosecuted for the murders, his group was linked to 400 to 700 murders. In the 50s, he became the leader of the Luciano family, but soon, in 1957, he was killed at the behest of Carlo Gambino.
Films about him: Albert's character Anastasia was the main character in the film Murder, Inc. (1960), starring Peter Falk and Howard Smith (Anastasia), as well as in the films The Valachi Papers (1972) and Lepke (1975).

Number 8 - Joseph Bonanno (1905 - 2002)
Joe Bananno was born in 1905 and grew up in Sicily and was orphaned at the age of 15. During the fascist regime of Mussolini, when he turned 19, he left Italy and arrived in the United States through Cuba. He soon received the nickname "Joey Bananas" and ended up in the Maranzano family. Before Luciano killed him, Maranzano formed a "Commission" that ruled the Mafia families in his homeland of Italy.
Bonanno amassed capital by running cheese factories, a clothing business, and a funeral business. However, his plans to eliminate the leaders of other families were not destined to come true, since he was kidnapped and forced to retire 19 days later. He was never convicted of any serious offense.
Films about him: There were two films about him: Love, Honor & Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage ("Love, honor and obedience: The Last Alliance Mafia, 1993) starring Ben Gazarra and Bonanno: A Godfather's Story (Bonanno: The Godfather, 1999) with Martin Landau.

Number 7 - Dutchman Schultz (1902 - 1935)
Arthur Flegenheimer, later known as Dutch Schultz, was born in 1092 in the Bronx. To impress his boss and mentor Marcel Poffo, he organized crap games in his youth. At the age of 17, he spent some time in prison for theft. He soon realized that the only way to make money was bootlegging (selling alcohol during Prohibition).
Wanting to become a member of the emerging syndicate, he made enemies in Luciano and Capone. After he was about to be convicted of another crime in 1933, he left for New Jersey. In 1935, after returning, he was killed by members of Albert Anastasia's group.
Films about him: Dustin Hoffman played a prominent role as Dutch Schultz in Billy Bathgate (1991), but was even better played by Tim Roth in Hoodlum (1997). In addition, we should recall the films Gangster Wars (1981), The Cotton Club (1984) and The Natural (1984).

Number 6 - John Gotti (1940 - 2002)
Among the famous gangsters of New York, John Gotti is especially noteworthy. He was born in 1940 in Brooklyn and was always considered a smart guy. At the age of 16, he joined a street gang called the Fulton Rockaway Boys. He quickly became their leader, in the 60s the gang was involved in car thefts and petty theft, in the early 70s he became the godfather of the Bergin group - part of the Gambino family. Gotti was very ambitious and soon began to engage in drugs, which were prohibited by family rules.
As a result, Paul Castellano (mafia boss) decided to expel Gotti from the organization. In 1985, Gotti and his henchmen killed Castellano, and Gotti took over the Gambino family. They tried to convict him many times law enforcement agencies New York, but the charges always failed. Due to the fact that he always looked presentable and was loved by the media, he received the nicknames "Elegant Don" and "Teflon Don". He was finally convicted of murder in 1992 and died of cancer in 2002.
Films about him: his character was played by Antonio John Denilson in the television film Getting Gotti ("Getting Gotti", 1994) and Armand Assante in the film Gotti ("Gotti", 1996). Of note are the films Witness to the Mob (1998) with Tom Sizemoor and The Big Heist (2001).

Number 5 - Meyer Lansky (1902 - 1983)
Mayer Sachovlyansky was born in 1902 in Russia. At the age of 9 he moved to New York. When they were boys, he met Charles Luciano. Luciano wanted Lansky to give him protection money, but he refused. There was a fight, after which they became bosom friends. After some time, Lansky met Bugsy Seagal. The trio became very friendly. Lansky and Seagal formed the group Bug and Meyer, which later became Murder, Inc.
Initially, Lansky was involved in money and gambling in Florida, New Orleans and Cuba. He was Seagal's investor in the Las Vegas casinos, and even bought an offshore bank in Switzerland in order to launder money. He was a co-founder of the National Crime Syndicate and the Council. However, business is never personal, and he was soon forced to kill Bugsy Seagal because... he stopped giving money to the Syndicate. Although he was involved in gambling racketeering around the world, Lansky never spent a day in prison.
Films about him: not only Richard Dreyfuss played well in the HBO Lansky film of the same name (1999), but also Nyman Roth in The Godfather Part II (The Godfather Part II, 1974), Mark Rydell in the film Havana (Havana, 1990), Patrick Dempsey in Mobsters (1991) and Ben Kingsley in Bugsy (1991).

Number 4 - Frank Costello (1891 - 1973)
Francesco Castiglia was born in 1891 in Italy and moved to the United States at the age of 4. At the age of 13, he joined a criminal gang and changed his name to Frank Costello. After serving time in prison, he became best friend Charlie Luciano. They engaged in bootlegging and gambling together. Costello's strength was that he was a liaison between the Mafia and politicians, especially Democratic Party member Tammany Hall in New York, which allowed him to avoid persecution.
After the arrest of Luciano Costello became a man in law. His feud with Vito Genovese led to Genovese attempting to kill Costello in the mid-50s. Frank Costello retired peacefully and died quietly in 1973.
Films about him: the best role played by James Andronicus in the 1981 television project The Gangster Chronicles, as well as Costas Mandylor Mobsters (1991), Carmine Caridi in the film Bugsy (1991), and Jack Nicholson in the film The Departed ", 2006).

Number 3 - Carlo Gambino (1902 - 1976)
Carlo Gambino grew up in a family that was part of the Italian mafia clan for several centuries. He began killing on demand at the age of 19. As Mussolini was gaining power at this time, Gambino immigrated to America, where his cousin Paul Costellano lived.
After Luciano's extradition in the 40s, Albert Anastasia took his place. However, Gambino believed that this was his time and in 1957 he ordered the death of Anastasia. He appointed himself Boss of the family and held it with an iron fist until his death from natural causes in 1976.
Films about him: Al Ruccio played him superbly in the film Boss of Bosses (2001). The image of Gambino could also be seen in such films as Between Love & Honor (1995), Gotti (1996) and Bonanno: A Godfather's Story (Bonanno: The Godfather, 1999).

Number 2 - Charlie "Lucky" Luciano (1897 - 1962)
Salvatore Luciania was born in Sicily in 1897, and nine years later his family moved to New York. After a while, he joined the Five Points gang. For five years, his gang made money mainly from prostitution; Luciano controlled rackets throughout Manhattan. After an unsuccessful attempt on his life in 1929, Luciano decided to create the National Crime Syndicate.
There was no rivalry, and by 1935, "Lucky" Luciano became known as the "Boss of Bosses" - not only in New York, but throughout the country. In 1936 he was sentenced to 30 to 50 years, but was released in 1946 for good behavior on the condition that he leave the country for Italy. He had such a strong influence that during World War II the US Navy turned to him for help in landing in Italy. He died in 1962 as a result of a heart attack.
Films about him: Christian Slater played him in "Gangsters" (1991), Bill Graham in "Bugsy" (1991) and Anthony LaPaglia in the TV movie "Lansky" (1999).

Number 1 - Al Capone (1899 - 1947)
If there was ever a gangster who deserved to know Number One, it was Al Capone. Alphonse Capone was born in 1899 in Brooklyn to a family of Italian immigrants. After a while, he joined the Five Points gang and became a bouncer. It was during this time that he earned the nickname "Scarface". In 1919, he moved to Chicago and working for Johnny Torrio, he quickly began to rise in the criminal hierarchy.
It was the time of Prohibition, and Capone was involved in prostitution, gambling and bootlegging. In 1925, when he was 26 years old, Capone became head of the Torrio family and started a family war. Known for his intelligence, as well as his bombast and love of attention, Capone was also famous for his cruelty. It is worth remembering the massacre during a Valentine's Day concert in 1929, in which many heads of criminal gangs were killed. In 1931, federal tax agent Eliot Nass arrested him for tax evasion.
Films about him: Many films have been made about Capone, the most famous of which are The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967) starring Jason Robards, Capone (1975) with Ben Gazarra and The Untouchables (1987) with Robert De Niro.

Worthy of Mention - Benjamin "Bugsy" Segal (1906 - 1947)
Benjamin Segal was born in 1906 in Brooklyn and soon met Meyer Lansky. He received the nickname "Bugsy" due to his unpredictable character. However, by killing people for Charlie Luciano, he made many enemies, and in the late 30s he was forced to flee to Los Angeles, where he met many stars.
Shortly after the passage of gambling laws in Nevada, he "borrowed" millions of dollars from the Syndicate and founded one of the first casino hotels in Las Vegas, the Flamingo. However, the business was not profitable, and soon after it was discovered in 1947 that he was simply stealing money from his friends, he was killed.
Films about him: the best actors who played Capone were Warren Beatty (Bugsy (1991) and Armand Assante The Marrying Man (1991).

Of course, these people were not saints, but we cannot help but admire the influence they had in their time. Now you know who was who in the criminal world. Stay out of trouble, smart guys ;).

The article was prepared specifically for

Since the release of the first list richest people world in 1982, Forbes magazine includes drug lords and gangsters - since organized crime is part of the world economy, these incomes need to be counted. For example, according to The Guardian, the Calabrian mafia 'Ndrangheta became richer in 2013 than Deutsche Bank and McDonald's combined - by €53 billion.

Below are the odious figures of the underworld who made millions and billions - Pablo Escobar, "Shorty", Al Capone, Tony Salerno and others.

John Gotti

New York boss of the Gambino clan John Gotti received two nicknames from the press. “Teflon Don” - for being invulnerable to justice for a long time. And also “Don the Dapper” - for expensive custom suits (Brioni for $2000 and hand-painted silk scarves for $400), careful hairstyle, black Mercedes 450 SL and lavish parties.

Growing up in the South Bronx, Gotti joined the Gambino clan in the 1950s, one of the powerful syndicates involved in gambling, extortion, loan sharking and drugs. The US government suspected that on his way to becoming head of the Gambinos, Gotti eliminated his predecessor Paul Castellano in 1985. An FBI agent who worked on the Gotti case said that "he was the first media don, never trying to hide the fact that he was a superboss." And his large lifestyle and external gloss always provided food for articles in the tabloids.

According to the New York Times, Gotti received between $10 and $12 million in annual income, and the Gambino clan earned more than $500 million a year in the 1980s. Justice did not reach Gotti until 1992, and 10 years later he died in prison.

Shinobu Tsukasa

74-year-old Shinobu Tsukasa leads a yakuza clan called the Yamaguchi-gumi. Fortune listed the Yamaguchi-gumi as one of the five most powerful mafia groups in the world, with annual profits of $6.6 billion. Yamaguchi was founded in the port city of Kobe more than 100 years ago and has 23,400 members. Most of the income comes from drug sales, as well as gambling and extortion.

Shinobu Tsukasa is the sixth leader of the clan in history. In the 1970s, he was sentenced to 13 years for murder with a samurai sword. In 2005, he was jailed for 6 years for possession of a firearm. In 2015, a split occurred in the Yamaguchi-gumi. According to Tokyo Reporter, most of the group remained with Tsukasa, and 3,000 members formed a new clan led by Kunio Inoue.

Michael Franzese

On Fortune's list of the 50 Most Powerful Mafia Bosses, Michael Franzese was ranked 18th. Franzese, nicknamed “Don Yuppie,” is the son of a bank robber who formed a cartel that was involved in the release of B-movies, the illegal sale of gasoline, scams involving the repair and sale of cars, and fraudulent loans.

Michael Franzese received between $1 and $2 million in income per week. In 1985, the US government charged him with fraud, stripped him of $4.8 million in assets and ordered him to repay $10 million for illegally selling gasoline through shell companies. After eight years in prison and a $15 million settlement, Frances moved to California and decided to capitalize on his criminal past. He has written two books - an autobiography, Blood Covenant, and a business advice book, I'll Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse, as well as sold the rights to a miniseries about his life to CBS. Now the former gangster lives in a $2.7 million house, drives a Porsche, gives interviews to Vanity Fair and gives lectures at universities.

Anthony Salerno

In 1986, Fortune magazine published a list of the "50 Most Powerful Mafia Bosses." Editor-in-Chief explained the appearance of the material by the fact that “organized crime is a powerful economic factor.” Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno also made the list. Led by a gangster, the Genovese clan (300 people) was involved in racketeering and drugs in New York. According to The New York Times, the clan's influence extended to Cleveland, Nevada and Miami, and its interests also included construction, loan sharking and casinos. Since the 1960s, the clan has earned $50 million a year. Between 1981 and 1985, Salerno imposed a two percent Mafia tax in New York on all contractors pouring concrete for buildings costing more than $2 million. Salerno's real wealth may have been $1 billion.

In 1988, the gangster was sentenced to 70 years for racketeering and concealing illegal income of $10 million a year (the declaration indicated only $40,000 a year). Four years later, at the age of 80, he died in prison.

Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar

The income of India's most wanted criminal is estimated by Business Insider at $6.7 billion. Forbes included Kaskar in the lists of the most influential people in the world in 2009, 2010 and 2011 (50th, 63rd and 57th place, respectively). His crime syndicate, D-Company, is blamed for the 1993 and 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and has also been involved in drug and arms smuggling. The US government believes that Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar has ties to al-Qaeda and the Taliban. According to one version, Kaskar is hiding in Pakistan.

Al Capone

Capone is the most famous American gangster. A character named Al Capone appears in 77 Mafia films.

At the time of his death in 1947, his fortune was estimated at $1.3 billion. Capone operated in various criminal spheres - bootlegging, racketeering, murder. In 1929, the American government declared him "Enemy No. 1." Prosecutors repeatedly sentenced Capone to prison, but he was released several months later. As a result, in 1931, Capone was only sentenced for tax evasion - for 11 years. He was to spend most of his sentence in Alcatraz.

In 1939, Capone was released, but his health was poor - he suffered from syphilis and dementia.

In 2012, Forbes conducted an analysis of Capone's former properties. The Chicago four-bedroom house he bought with his first earnings was valued at $450,000, and the Miami Beach mansion where he died in 1947 was valued at $9.95 million.

Griselda Blanco

Colombian Griselda Blanco Western press called "The Godmother of Cocaine." Blanco was a key figure in the Miami cocaine trade in the 1970s and 1980s. Even in the male drug business, she had a reputation as a ruthless operator. According to Business Insider, her fortune was approaching $2 billion, however, she was far from the income of Exobar.

A three-time widow whose spouses were rumored to have died at her hands, she named one of her sons Michael Corleone. Its distribution network made tens of millions of dollars and transported about 1,500 kilograms of cocaine a month, according to The Guardian. Before his arrest in 1985 in California, “Godmother” appeared on the list of the most dangerous drug traffickers along with Escobar and the Ochoa brothers. She was charged with 40 to 200 murders in Florida, but the woman managed to avoid the death penalty due to a technical error in court: the officer who testified against her was discredited because he had a sex conversation on the phone with the secretary in the prosecutor’s office, the Guardian wrote. Blanco was imprisoned in federal prison and deported to Colombia in 2004, where she was shot and killed by a motorcycle killer eight years later.

Khun Sa

Khun Sa, the “Opium King,” was estimated by Business Insider to be worth $5 billion. Born Chang Shifu, the son of a Chinese man and a Shan woman, in the 1960s he changed his name to the pseudonym Khun Sa, which means “Prosperous Prince.” During these years, he led the Burmese army engaged in the cultivation of opium in the Golden Triangle Southeast Asia, there were 20,000 men there. In the 1970s and 80s, the Sa army controlled the Thai-Burmese border and was responsible for 45% of the pure heroin entering the US, earning it the title of "the best in the business" by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) (The Economist).

The US government placed a $2 million bounty on the head of the “Opium King.” By the 1990s, the DEA was able to destroy Sa’s trading chain, he moved to Yangon and retired. Currently, opium production in the Golden Triangle has fallen to 5% of the global figure (in 1975 it was 70%).

There are different versions about whether the drug lord saved billions before his death in 2007 - from “lived in luxury”, but “was content with a modest pension.”

Morris Dalitz

Moritz (Moe) Dalitz was one of such legendary gangsters as Al Capone and Bugzy Siegel. During the Prohibition era, he was involved in bootlegging, and later in the gambling business and real estate. In 1982, Dalitz appeared on the first Forbes list of the richest, along with artist Yoko Ono, actor Bob Hope and mafia accountant Meyer Lansky. Dalitz's fortune was estimated at $110 million, but how much he actually earned remains a question.

Dalitz received a significant share of his wealth from the first Las Vegas casinos. In 1949, he co-founded the Desert Inn and Stardust Hotel casinos. In the 1950s, he took part in the emergence of the Paradise Development Company, which built a university and convention center in Las Vegas. In the 1960s, he invested in the $100 million La Costa Resort complex near San Diego, after which he sued Penthouse magazine for $640 million, which wrote that the construction was financed by the mafia. Unlike many of his colleagues with a criminal past, Dalitz lived to old age and in recent years was involved in charity work.

Rafael Caro Quintero and Amado Carrillo Fuentes

Before the star of the drug lord "Shorty" rose in Mexico, two names thundered there - Rafael Caro Quintero (pictured) and Carrillo Fuentes. The head of the Guadalajara cartel, Rafael Quintero, owned a marijuana plantation called Rancho Bufalo. During a police raid in 1984, about 6,000 tons of marijuana were seized at the ranch, which, according to The Wall Street Journal, cost Quintero between $3.2 and $8 billion. The Guadalajara cartel earned $5 billion a year. There were rumors in the Mexican press that Quintero, following Escobar, offered to pay external debt Mexico in exchange for their freedom. The drug lord was sentenced to 40 years in a Mexican prison in 1989, but was released 28 years later.

The second Mexican drug lord is Carrillo Fuentes, head of the Juarez cartel. The Washington Post estimated his fortune at $25 billion. It is believed that his wealth allowed him for many years avoid justice. Fuentes earned the nickname "Lord of the Skies" for his extensive fleet of 22 aircraft used to transport cocaine to the United States. Fuentes died in 1997 during plastic surgery by changes in appearance.

Pablo Escobar

Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar became the first criminal to appear on the Forbes 100 International Billionaires list in 1987 with an income of $3 billion. He dropped out only after his death in 1993. The Medellin cartel, led by Escobar, had revenues of $7 billion from 1981 to 1986, with the drug lord taking 40% for himself. The cartel received its main wealth from smuggling cocaine into the United States (about 15 tons daily); in the late 1980s, it owned 80% of the entire cocaine market in the world. According to Business Insider, Escobar earned $420 million a week; according to other sources, his fortune totaled more than $30 billion.

Each year, the king of cocaine lost about $2.1 billion (10% of revenue) as the money was haphazardly stored in warehouses and abandoned farms, destroyed by mold and rodents. Every month he spent $2,500 on rubber bands to hold bills together. Escobar once burned $2 million to warm his daughter: the family was then hiding in the mountains, and there was nothing to light a fire with. In 1984, the cartel offered to pay Colombia's national debt in exchange for immunity. The Drug Enforcement Administration placed a reward of $11 million on Escobar's head. In 1991, the drug lord made a deal with the Colombian government to build his own La Catedral prison (with a football field and guards chosen by him), which the authorities could not approach closer than 5 km.

The life of the drug lord was so colorful that Netflix released the series “Narcos” dedicated to him in 2015.

Brothers Ochoa and Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha

In 1987, along with Escobar, the co-founders of the Medellin cartel, Jorge Luis Ochoa-Vazquez (with an income of $2 billion) and his brothers Juan David and Fabio, who received 30% of the cartel's revenue, were included in the Forbes list of the richest. The Ochoa brothers remained on the Forbes list for another 6 years until they surrendered to the authorities.

The drug lord Gonzalo Rodriguez Gacha, who lived at the same time, worked both with the Medellin cartel and independently (for example, transporting cocaine from Bogota to the United States disguised as flower deliveries) was also a billionaire. In 1988, Forbes estimated his fortune at $1.3 billion. Gacha remained on the list for two years until he was shot dead by Colombian police.

Joaquin Guzman Loera

In 2009, Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman Loera, nicknamed “Shorty,” was included in the Forbes list of the richest people on the planet with a fortune of $1 billion. In 2012 and 2013, he ranked 63rd and 67th among the most influential people in the world. Strategic Forecasting Inc. and even estimated his wealth at $12 billion. The Sinaloa Cartel under the leadership of Loehr was responsible for 25% of illegal drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States and received revenue of $3 billion. The New York Times, citing data from the Drug Enforcement Administration, writes that the cartel sold more cocaine than Escobar at the peak of his career.

“Shorty” began his business in the early 1990s, transporting cocaine, including in cans of chili peppers (in 1993, Mexican authorities confiscated such a 7-ton cargo). He was declared "Mexico's most wanted man" with a $7 million reward for his capture: $5 million from the United States and another $2 million from Mexico. He was first arrested in 1993, but escaped from prison in 2001. IN last time Mexican intelligence agencies captured Loera in Sinaloa in January 2016. The drug lord was killed by vanity. He was going to make a biographical film about himself and was conducting a casting. In addition, actor Sean Penn flew to "Shorty" for an interview. It is believed that the authorities were able to track the movements of the criminal thanks to this.