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Birth: ca. 1896
Family maintained its control and influence in New York's underworld and over the rackets
the Family dominated. Known for his flamboyant, persuasive, leadership style, which won over
many a politician and member of the judiciary (to the great benefit of the Family), Costello
became known as the "Prime Minister" of the underworld. Costello was the Luciano
Family's Connection Guy, an overseer of graft and political corruption with law
enforcement, judges and politicians of Tammany Hall, which Costello was allegedly Boss of.
It was said that during Costello's reign as a Boss that no judge in New York was made
without the consent of Costello. Frank Costello allegedly even managed to get F.B.I. director J.
Edgar Hoover on his side, fixing horse races in Hoover's favour when the Bureau
Boss indulged in one of his favourite pastimes at the track, but even though Hoover knew
the races were fixed he never wagered more than $5 or $10, which astounded Costello.
the garment center, garbage hauling, construction, labor and union rackets, along with
legitimate businesses. Costello was a connection guy and political corrupter and was vying
for the same political influence as New York Boss, Gaetano "Tommy Brown" Lucchese and
now he had Vito Genovese to deal with as well. Genovese felt that Costello had only looked
after his and Luciano's interests, leading the Family away from the blue collar rackets such as
hijacking, theft, fencing, extortion, prostitution and narcotics, neglecting the crews that worked
on the streets and that Genovese was popular with. Rackets such as gambling, bookmaking and
loansharking are a universal mainstay for all Families and are never neglected, but when the
soldiers on the streets who do the debt collecting, muscle work and murders are not happy,
there is a lack of trust and confidence in the Bosses leadership abilities and this is exactly what
Genovese was trying to accomplish. 
Frank Costello's refusal to answer all the
questions, eventual walk-out on in the hearings and revived notoriety as America's #1 gangster
galvanized the government and Costello eventually spent a year in prison for contempt and soon
after, 11 months in for tax evasion before his conviction was overturned on appeal. The whole time
Frank Costello was in prison, Vito Genovese was busy lobbying behind the scenes for Costello's
removal following a poor performance by the Boss at the Kefauver Committee hearings, but this
led to nothing, and eventually Genovese decided he could wait no longer. On May 2, 1957,
Genovese gunman and protege,
Vincent "Chin" Gigante tried to assassinate Luciano Crime Family
Boss, Frank Costello in the lobby of his Manhattan apartment building, but botched the hit, leaving
Costello with a minor scalp/head wound. Future Acting Boss, Thomas "Tommy Ryan" Eboli,
drove the getaway car.
former boxing manager allegedly
became the
family's new Boss and continued
to run the family with Jerry Catena, Mike Miranda and Philip Lombardo. Being that Jeryy Catena
was the Underboss and #2 man in the family when Boss, Vito Genovese died in 1969,
Catena was most likely the real Boss of the Family, but by 1970, was convicted and imprisoned
for 4 years leaving Eboli, Miranda and Lombardo as the top members of the Genovese
Family. Eboli's power and influence in the Family, along with his respect in La Cosa Nostra,
quickly diminished after ascending to the top position due to a number of hapless decisions
he made during his time in charge and a known lack of respect for fellow Bosses. Phil
Lombardo was Jery Catena's protege and was most likely the real power on the streets, a
Street Boss, representing Catena and continuing his rise to the top. In early
1972 Eboli and millionare drug dealer, Louis Cirillo received a $4 million loan from
Carlo Gambino to finance a drug deal,
Cirillo was eventually indicted on narcotics charges and when the police came to his home
to arrest him they uncovered millions of dollars hidden in his home. 
the alleged reign of Acting Boss, Tony Salerno from 1981-87, while law enforcement and
mob watchers are certain that by 1987, Gigante was the official Boss of the Family.
Boss Vincent Gigante elevated longtime associate and ally Venero "Benny Eggs" Mangano
to Underboss in 1987, after Santoro retired, while Bobby Manna remained in the position of
Consigliere. Vincent Gigante was a former boxer turned gangster who was once managed by
Genovese Family member Thomas Eboli. By the late 1940s Vincent and his brothers Pat,
Mario and Ralph were all soldiers in the crew of former Genovese Crime Family Underboss
and Capo since 1946, Vito Genovese. Another Gigante brother, Louis Gigante went
in a totally opposite direction and became a well known New York Catholic priest. 
Stories abound about Gigante's remarkably secretive leadership style and his ability to install fear in his underlings. He is alleged to have ordered his men never to utter his name but instead to point to their chin (a reference to a shortened version of the Italian version of his first name, "Chin"), to receive them at his headquarters one by one and to never allow them to speak above a whisper. He also created the position of "Messaggero", a messenger used to put further distance between himself and his men. Close associate Dom Cirillo was said to retain this position throughout the 1980s, until 1997 when he was promoted, but in 1998 he suffered a heart attack and stepped down to recover. Vincent Gigante's sons, Vincent Esposito and Andrew Gigante, believed to have held the position from 1998-2002. The Genovese Crime Family also uses "Street Bosses" to assist the Boss or Acting Boss and the Underboss in relaying orders to Capos, soldiers and associates on the streets. The First Genovese Crime Family member to hold the Street Boss position was Capo, Liborio Bellomo.