The Prosecutor Who Jailed Lucky Luciano, Then Set Him Free

In 1936, the most powerful gangster in New York wasn't charged with murder. He was charged with running brothels. And the prosecutor who put Lucky Luciano away was the same man who, ten years later, set him free. Episode 2 of "After the Commission: The American Mafia, 1935–Today". ▶ Previous episode, Dutch Schultz:    • He Wanted to Kill a Prosecutor. The Mob Sa...   CHAPTERS 0:00 Hot Springs, April 1936 0:55 The Man Behind the Name 1:58 The Pattern 3:00 The Raid 3:43 Fifty Thousand Dollars 4:45 The Trial 5:52 Thirty to Fifty Years 6:42 The Man Who Let Him Go SOURCES People v. Luciano, 277 N.Y. 348 (N.Y. Court of Appeals, 1938): https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion... NYC Municipal Archives, Charles "Lucky" Luciano closed case files, 1929–1943: https://a860-collectionguides.nyc.gov... Encyclopedia of Arkansas, "Charles 'Lucky' Luciano": https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/en... The Mob Museum, "When Luciano's luck ran out": https://themobmuseum.org/blog/when-lu... The Mob Museum, "Eighty years ago, Lucky Luciano traded prison for exile": https://themobmuseum.org/blog/eighty-... The Mob Museum, Eunice Carter: https://themobmuseum.org/notable_name... Encyclopedia.com, "Charles 'Lucky' Luciano Trial: 1936": https://www.encyclopedia.com/law/law-... After the trial, the four women whose testimony most directly implicated Luciano recanted. His conviction was upheld on appeal in 1938. Whether the trial testimony or the recantations were true has never been settled. PHOTOS: Wikimedia Commons / Library of Congress, NYPD, Detroit Publishing Co., Historic American Buildings Survey, National Park Service, The Crisis (1921) (public domain). "Thomas Dewey speaking on WEVD radio" by Kheel Center, CC BY 2.0. Narration voice: AI-generated. Some scenes are illustrations. #truecrime #mafia #luckyluciano