1953 in organized crime

[edit] Events

New York mafiosi and boss of Gagliano-Lucchese Family, Gaetano Gagliano dies of natural causes and Gaetano Lucchese succeeds him as boss.
Kansas City mobster Joseph Benintende is imprisoned after being convicted for his role in the NCAA point shaving scandal.
Dominick Petrilli, sneaking into the United States shortly after being deported, is killed by rival gunman. Petrilli had brought Joe Valachi, later a government informant, into the Genovese crime family.
May 2 - Meyer Lansky is convicted of illegal gambling, after pleading guilty to five of the total twenty one charges, and serves three months in a New York prison. He is additionally fined $2,500 and, after his release, receives three years probation.
June 19 - Stephen Franse, a police informant, is murdered by Genovese crime family hitman Joe Valachi.
July 16 - Shortly after his release from prison, Joe Adonis is faced with perjury charges.
August 5 - U.S. Attorney General Herbert Brownell Jr. orders the deportation of Joe Adonis after it is found Adonis had lied of his birthplace in Passaic, New Jersey and found to have immigrated from Naples, Italy.
October 29 - New York mobster Frank Costello is released from prison, following his arrest for contempt of court during the Kefauver Committee the previous year.

Michael Franseze, New York (Long Island) mobsters and Colombo crime family Capo involved in auto dealerships, movies and bootleg gasoline and son of Colombo member John "Sonny" Franseze