Post by Don Ben Costello on Sept 4, 2011 11:01:05 GMT -5
Gang Name: The Costello Crime Family
Gang Turf: Las Venturas, San Fierro, Las Vegas, Sicily
Gang Activities: Drug Distribution, Arms Dealing, Bribery, Extortion, Smuggling, Money Laundering, Protection, Illegal Gambling Activities, Skimming Operations, Murder for Hire, Kidnappings, Blackmail.
Gang Headquarters: Costello Mansion, Empire Casino, Kingdom Casino
Gang Weapons: 9mm Pistols, Micro SMGs, AK47s
Rival Gangs:
Ally Gangs: West Coast Commission (Forelli Crime Family, Leone Crime Family, Costello Crime Family, Trapani Crime Family), Primo Crime Family, San Fierro Rifa
Neutral Gangs: Mancini Crime Family, Valentino Crime Family
Gang Attire: Tailored Italian Suits
Gang Vehicles: Admirals, Mafia Sentinels, Mafia Stretch, Sanchez's, Mavericks
Locations Owned: The Strip (Las Venturas)
Gang Description: A powerful Cosa Nostra family with lucrative operations and formidable connections.
Gang History: Ben Costello's grandfather, an original gangster who was "made" in Italy, founded the organisation in the late 1950s, starting off as a group of Italian immigrants attempting to provide for their families in a time when career opportunities were scarce and low-income was guaranteed.
Costello's gang started off by robbing black-market trucks and selling their goods to local fences. They also dabbled in other activities, such as illegal gambling - they extorted dice game operators running games in their territory, ran several numbers games and a few small-time crap operations and sold illegal Italian lottery tickets.
Their success wasn't without its inevitable ramifications, however. Salvatore Antolio, commonly referred to as 'Papa Antolio' was the local neighbourhood padrone and decided to take matters into his own hands. Without even consulting someone, Antolio busted up an illegal card game that was under Costello's protection, severely injuring the dealer in the process, before proceeding to "wetting his beak" and then demanding restitution from Costello's gang shortly thereafter.
Costello attempted to organise an illegal arms deal in order to pay off Antolio, later discovering that the latter person had stolen the merchandise from Costello's men, leaving them to kill the buyers and steal the money.
Costello realised that Salvatore was a genuine amateur, and so plotted his demise. Through the use of his street informants, Costello discovered that the local padrone often received a haircut at a local barbershop.
On the morning of October 25, 1952, Antolio entered the barber shop of the Park Sherry Hotel (now the Park Meridian Hotel, on 51st Street and 9th Avenue) in The Strip, Las Venturas. Antolio's bodyguard parked the car in an underground garage and then took a walk.
As Antolio relaxed in the barber chair, two men – scarves covering their faces – rushed in, shoved the barber out of the way, and fired at Salvatore. After the first volley of bullets, Antolio allegedly lunged at his killers. However, the stunned Antolio had actually attacked the gunmen's reflections in the wall mirror of the barber shop. The gunmen continued firing and Salvatore Antolio finally fell to the floor, dead. It was later revealed that the bodyguard had been paid off to leave Antolio unprotected.
Sooner or later, Franco Costello killed off what little men Antolio had and assumed control of his former territories and operations, running things smoothly. Due to his powerful connections, personal influence and lucrative operations, Costello's gang, though still small-time, started to grow in terms of numbers and sooner or later became a powerful faction, in charge of activities such as illegal gambling, extortion etc.
Costello's gang were involved in truck hijackings, using a trucking company as a front outfit of theirs. Furthermore, they were involved in arms trafficking and narcotics activities, using a boat-charter business to sell both guns and drugs. They were involved in match fixing, using a rundown boxing club to run illegal fights and profit greatly, and had many other activities, such as point shaving schemes, blackmailing a corrupted NLF referee who was coerced into successful co-operation as a result of crippling debts incurred by constantly betting on horse races. In other words, the gang was thriving.
In the mid-1980s, however, the unfortunate death of Franco due to natural causes left a power vacuum behind. The man's underboss fought for the position, however was killed by one of the main crews, led by ravenous caporegime Daniel "Little Dan" Malgani, someone who was later executed by Sindacco hitmen whose services had been secretly enlisted by Costello's faithful consigliere Silvio Manza.
An even more serious power struggle later ensued, with the organisation now divided into two renegade factions, led by warring Costello caporegimes Richard "Dickie Meatballs" Arturo and Michael "Mike the Greaser" Sabella respectively.
Sabella eventually won, ordering the successful killings of Arturo and prominent loyalists serving under him. Taking over as boss, Michael brought about several changes to the family hierarchy, most notably the demotion of its current underboss, Gianfranco Prato, who was demoted to street boss in light of his expertise - Sabella needed him to successfully oversee the progress of their captains.
Unfortunately for the family, in 1999, prominent Costello captain Anthony "Tokyo Tony" Milazzo became an FBI informant, testifying against the family in court as a chief witness in a series of trials involving high-ranking members of the Costello crime family. Some received life sentences, whilst others received lighter sentences due to some of them not having had criminal records prior to the trials. In fact, a few of the aging old-school mobsters were put on house arrest pending further trials, whilst other gangsters from that long-gone generation received suspended sentences.
The family struggled for years after in light of the city's respective authorities' crackdowns on organised crime, as even their fellow criminal associates suffered. It was hard to partake in illegal dealings when the authorities were constantly on your tail.
In 2005, the Costello crime family set up a three-man ruling panel in order to combat the authorities, a decision that was relatively short-lived as more of its loyalists became CIs.
Ben Costello eventually took over the family c.2008 following the imprisonment of most of the administration (all serving life sentences) and reorganised the family structure, promoting loyal members to assume spots in the family administration. In addition to this, Ben executed several renegades who were known federal informants, establishing a reputation as a brutal tactician and cunning executioner. He is the current boss of the family, and is leading it well, with many corrupt political officials in his pocket and lucrative operations that bring more profits than losses.
Family Hierarchy:
Boss: Ben Costello (32 years old)
Underboss: Alfredo Costello (N/A)
Consigliere: Paulie Russo (N/A)
Street Boss: Carmine Rotelli (N/A)
Caporegime: Frank Merissina (N/A)
Caporegime: Luigi Gambino (N/A)
Caporegime: Louis Spitaleri (N/A)
Ben Costello's Wife: Nina Costello, aged 31
Gang Turf: Las Venturas, San Fierro, Las Vegas, Sicily
Gang Activities: Drug Distribution, Arms Dealing, Bribery, Extortion, Smuggling, Money Laundering, Protection, Illegal Gambling Activities, Skimming Operations, Murder for Hire, Kidnappings, Blackmail.
Gang Headquarters: Costello Mansion, Empire Casino, Kingdom Casino
Gang Weapons: 9mm Pistols, Micro SMGs, AK47s
Rival Gangs:
Ally Gangs: West Coast Commission (Forelli Crime Family, Leone Crime Family, Costello Crime Family, Trapani Crime Family), Primo Crime Family, San Fierro Rifa
Neutral Gangs: Mancini Crime Family, Valentino Crime Family
Gang Attire: Tailored Italian Suits
Gang Vehicles: Admirals, Mafia Sentinels, Mafia Stretch, Sanchez's, Mavericks
Locations Owned: The Strip (Las Venturas)
Gang Description: A powerful Cosa Nostra family with lucrative operations and formidable connections.
Gang History: Ben Costello's grandfather, an original gangster who was "made" in Italy, founded the organisation in the late 1950s, starting off as a group of Italian immigrants attempting to provide for their families in a time when career opportunities were scarce and low-income was guaranteed.
Costello's gang started off by robbing black-market trucks and selling their goods to local fences. They also dabbled in other activities, such as illegal gambling - they extorted dice game operators running games in their territory, ran several numbers games and a few small-time crap operations and sold illegal Italian lottery tickets.
Their success wasn't without its inevitable ramifications, however. Salvatore Antolio, commonly referred to as 'Papa Antolio' was the local neighbourhood padrone and decided to take matters into his own hands. Without even consulting someone, Antolio busted up an illegal card game that was under Costello's protection, severely injuring the dealer in the process, before proceeding to "wetting his beak" and then demanding restitution from Costello's gang shortly thereafter.
Costello attempted to organise an illegal arms deal in order to pay off Antolio, later discovering that the latter person had stolen the merchandise from Costello's men, leaving them to kill the buyers and steal the money.
Costello realised that Salvatore was a genuine amateur, and so plotted his demise. Through the use of his street informants, Costello discovered that the local padrone often received a haircut at a local barbershop.
On the morning of October 25, 1952, Antolio entered the barber shop of the Park Sherry Hotel (now the Park Meridian Hotel, on 51st Street and 9th Avenue) in The Strip, Las Venturas. Antolio's bodyguard parked the car in an underground garage and then took a walk.
As Antolio relaxed in the barber chair, two men – scarves covering their faces – rushed in, shoved the barber out of the way, and fired at Salvatore. After the first volley of bullets, Antolio allegedly lunged at his killers. However, the stunned Antolio had actually attacked the gunmen's reflections in the wall mirror of the barber shop. The gunmen continued firing and Salvatore Antolio finally fell to the floor, dead. It was later revealed that the bodyguard had been paid off to leave Antolio unprotected.
Sooner or later, Franco Costello killed off what little men Antolio had and assumed control of his former territories and operations, running things smoothly. Due to his powerful connections, personal influence and lucrative operations, Costello's gang, though still small-time, started to grow in terms of numbers and sooner or later became a powerful faction, in charge of activities such as illegal gambling, extortion etc.
Costello's gang were involved in truck hijackings, using a trucking company as a front outfit of theirs. Furthermore, they were involved in arms trafficking and narcotics activities, using a boat-charter business to sell both guns and drugs. They were involved in match fixing, using a rundown boxing club to run illegal fights and profit greatly, and had many other activities, such as point shaving schemes, blackmailing a corrupted NLF referee who was coerced into successful co-operation as a result of crippling debts incurred by constantly betting on horse races. In other words, the gang was thriving.
In the mid-1980s, however, the unfortunate death of Franco due to natural causes left a power vacuum behind. The man's underboss fought for the position, however was killed by one of the main crews, led by ravenous caporegime Daniel "Little Dan" Malgani, someone who was later executed by Sindacco hitmen whose services had been secretly enlisted by Costello's faithful consigliere Silvio Manza.
An even more serious power struggle later ensued, with the organisation now divided into two renegade factions, led by warring Costello caporegimes Richard "Dickie Meatballs" Arturo and Michael "Mike the Greaser" Sabella respectively.
Sabella eventually won, ordering the successful killings of Arturo and prominent loyalists serving under him. Taking over as boss, Michael brought about several changes to the family hierarchy, most notably the demotion of its current underboss, Gianfranco Prato, who was demoted to street boss in light of his expertise - Sabella needed him to successfully oversee the progress of their captains.
Unfortunately for the family, in 1999, prominent Costello captain Anthony "Tokyo Tony" Milazzo became an FBI informant, testifying against the family in court as a chief witness in a series of trials involving high-ranking members of the Costello crime family. Some received life sentences, whilst others received lighter sentences due to some of them not having had criminal records prior to the trials. In fact, a few of the aging old-school mobsters were put on house arrest pending further trials, whilst other gangsters from that long-gone generation received suspended sentences.
The family struggled for years after in light of the city's respective authorities' crackdowns on organised crime, as even their fellow criminal associates suffered. It was hard to partake in illegal dealings when the authorities were constantly on your tail.
In 2005, the Costello crime family set up a three-man ruling panel in order to combat the authorities, a decision that was relatively short-lived as more of its loyalists became CIs.
Ben Costello eventually took over the family c.2008 following the imprisonment of most of the administration (all serving life sentences) and reorganised the family structure, promoting loyal members to assume spots in the family administration. In addition to this, Ben executed several renegades who were known federal informants, establishing a reputation as a brutal tactician and cunning executioner. He is the current boss of the family, and is leading it well, with many corrupt political officials in his pocket and lucrative operations that bring more profits than losses.
Family Hierarchy:
Boss: Ben Costello (32 years old)
Underboss: Alfredo Costello (N/A)
Consigliere: Paulie Russo (N/A)
Street Boss: Carmine Rotelli (N/A)
Caporegime: Frank Merissina (N/A)
Caporegime: Luigi Gambino (N/A)
Caporegime: Louis Spitaleri (N/A)
Ben Costello's Wife: Nina Costello, aged 31
