© Getty Images/Public Domain

Matteo Messina Denaro (1962–2023) -

Matteo Messina Denaro, a notorious crime boss, had been on the run since 1993, and was wanted by Italy's authorities for his leadership role in the Cosa Nostra Mafia in Sicily. He was finally captured by the police in a private medical clinic in Palermo on January 16, 2023. On September 25, 2023, he died in custody while receiving medical treatment for colon cancer at the San Salvatore hospital in L’Aquila, in central Italy.

© Reuters

Matteo Messina Denaro -

Denaro was held responsible for numerous crimes, including orchestrating multiple murders, notably those of anti-Mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. In addition, he received multiple life sentences in absentia for his involvement in fatal bombings that occurred in Milan, Florence, and Rome during the late 1990s. Furthermore, Denaro was known for the brutal torture and murder of an 11-year-old boy, whose father had provided evidence against the Cosa Nostra.

© Getty Images

Al Capone (1899–1947) -

Alphonse Gabriel Capone, born into an immigrant family in Brooklyn, New York, rose to infamy as the infamous gangster during Prohibition. Referred to as "Scarface," he co-founded and led the Chicago Outfit.

© Getty Images 

Al Capone -

Capone controlled organized crime in Chicago between 1925 and 1931, operating illegal gambling, prostitution, and bootlegging activities. He violently eliminated competitors to expand his influence. The image displays Capone’s FBI criminal record in 1932, revealing that many charges against him were dropped or dismissed.

© Public Domain

Al Capone -

At 33 years old, he was imprisoned after ruling as a crime boss for seven years. Initially held in Atlanta, Capone was later transferred to Alcatraz. Following his release after eight years, he passed away in 1947 from cardiac arrest, living as a powerless recluse.

© Getty Images 

John Dillinger (1903–1934) -

John Herbert Dillinger headed a ruthless gang that instilled fear in the American Midwest during the Great Depression. His actions resulted in him being labeled as "Public Enemy Number 1."

© Getty Images 

John Dillinger -

Between the years 1933 and 1934, the gang was accountable for the deaths of 10 individuals, injuring seven others, committing bank and police arsenal robberies, and conducting three prison escapes. The photograph captures Dillinger standing in court at Crown Point, Indiana in 1934.

© Getty Images 

John Dillinger -

On July 22, 1934, the man referred to by the FBI as a "lurid desperado" met his fate. John Dillinger, after leaving the Biograph Theater in Chicago, was shot and killed by federal agents as he attempted to escape. The image shows Dillinger after being identified and placed in the Cook County morgue.

© Getty Images 

Clyde Barrow (1909-1934) and Bonnie Parker (1910-1934) -

Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were a couple known for their criminal activities that fascinated the American media and its audience during the early 1930s.

© Public Domain 

Bonnie and Clyde -

Barrow was suspected of various killings and was sought after for murder, robbery, and state charges related to kidnapping. It is believed that together, they murdered at least nine police officers and four civilians. In this well-known image, Parker whimsically aims a shotgun at her criminal companion.

© Getty Images 

Bonnie and Clyde -

The couple's tragic end was marked by violence. Following a well-known and sensational manhunt, law enforcement officers ambushed and fatally shot the pair near Sailes in Louisiana on May 23, 1934.

© Public Domain 

Ma Barker (1873–1935) -

Kate Barker, commonly referred to as Ma Barker, was the mother of numerous American criminals who operated as the Barker-Karpis gang amid the "public enemy era" in the 1930s. Her own sons were among the gang's members.

© Getty Images 

Fred Barker (1901–1935) -

Ma Barker was known as a tough crime boss who oversaw and orchestrated her sons' illegal activities. Fred Barker, her youngest son, partnered closely with Alvin Karpis to create the gang. This criminal organization thrived from 1931 to 1935, making it one of the most enduring during the Great Depression.

© Public Domain 

Arthur 'Doc' Barker (1899–1939) -

Fred's brother Arthur "Doc" Barker was known for his violent nature and joined the gang as a key member. The gang's notable activities included bank robberies and kidnappings. Tragically, Ma and Fred Barker lost their lives during a lengthy exchange of gunfire with special agents on January 16, 1935. "Doc" Barker met his demise in 1939 while attempting to flee from Alcatraz.

© Public Domain 

Lucky Luciano (1897–1962) -

Charles "Lucky" Luciano, an Italian-born criminal, is recognized for designing The Commission, an arrangement that formed the framework of contemporary organized crime in the United States.

© Public Domain 

Lucky Luciano -

Luciano effectively led the modern Genovese crime family, overseeing profitable illegal activities in New York City including gambling, extortion, bookmaking, loansharking, and drug trafficking as its inaugural official boss.

© Public Domain 

Lucky Luciano -

Imprisoned in 1936, the mob leader proposed aiding the war effort in World War II, leveraging his illicit associations in Italy to aid the Allies. Eventually, this agreement granted him early release and deportation. However, his fortune waned in January 1962 when he succumbed to a fatal heart attack in Naples. He now rests in Queens, New York.

© Getty Images 

Baby Face Nelson (1908–1934) -

Lester Joseph Gillis holds the unfortunate distinction of having killed more FBI agents than anyone else. A comrade of John Dillinger, Gillis was recognized as "Baby Face Nelson" due to his youthful looks.

© Public Domain 

Baby Face Nelson -

Nelson became involved with a gang during his early teenage years. At the age of 14, he had become skilled in stealing cars and later advanced to engaging in bootlegging, operating stills, and armed robbery in his early twenties.

© Public Domain 

Baby Face Nelson -

The escape from prison in 1934 involving John Dillinger was made possible with the help of Nelson and his gang. Following the demise of Dillinger and fellow criminal "Pretty Boy Floyd," the FBI labeled Nelson as "Public Enemy No 1" (as displayed in the bureau's circular). Nelson's fate caught up with him during The Battle of Barrington, when he was fatally shot by FBI agents near Chicago.

© Getty Images 

Machine Gun Kelly (1895–1954) -

George Kelly Barnes, also known as "Machine Gun Kelly," was a gangster hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, active during the Prohibition era.

© Public Domain 

Machine Gun Kelly -

In addition to bootlegging and armed robbery, Kelly gained notoriety for the July 1933 abduction of oil tycoon and businessman Charles F. Urschel. During this incident, Kelly and his gang successfully obtained a sizable ransom of US$200,000 (equivalent to approximately US$4 million in today's currency). The accompanying photograph depicts Kelly being led away in handcuffs by FBI agents after his arrest. Both Kelly and his accomplice, his wife Kathryn Kelly, were later given life sentences.

© Getty Images

Machine Gun Kelly -

Kelly spent some time at Alcatraz, where he earned the nickname "Pop Gun Kelly" from other prisoners. He was known for bragging and exaggerating about his past exploits. In 1951, he was moved to Leavenworth, and he passed away there three years later due to heart failure.

© Getty Images 

Frank Costello (1891–1973) -

Francesco Castiglia, known as Costello, was an Italian-American leader of the Luciano crime organization. As a prominent gangster, he maintained strong connections with Lucky Luciano and profited from illegal activities like bootlegging and gambling.

© Getty Images 

Frank Costello -

Costello formed connections with politicians and businessmen in New York and became an important political link for the syndicate. When Luciano was imprisoned in 1936, he named Costello as the temporary boss. In the early 1950s, Costello not only had to deal with internal conflicts within the mob, but also faced opposition from the US Senate's efforts to limit organized crime.

© Getty Images 

Frank Costello -

Costello, convicted for contempt and tax evasion, also narrowly escaped an assassination in 1957. Famed as the "Prime Minister of the Underworld," he retired from criminal activities in the late 1960s. On February 18, 1973, he passed away due to a heart attack.

© Getty Images 

Carlo Gambino (1902–1976) -

Carlo Gambino, a native of Sicily, relocated to the United States in 1921. Progressing through the organized crime hierarchy, he ultimately assumed leadership of the Gambino syndicate.

© Getty Images 

Carlo Gambino -

In 1932, Gambino married Catherine Castellano, who happened to be the sister of mobster Paul Castellano. This connection helped him become a member of the Mafia. By the 1950s, Gambino had established various illegal activities such as gambling, loansharking, hijacking, narcotics trafficking, and labor racketeering.

© Getty Images 

Carlo Gambino -

Gambino's deteriorating health and multiple heart attacks caused delays in his trials for criminal activities, even though he only spent 22 months in prison during the late 1930s out of his 50-year life of crime. In 1976, he finally succumbed to coronary failure. At his funeral mass in Brooklyn, approximately 150 relatives and close friends, including prominent Mafia lieutenants, gathered to pay their respects.

© Getty Images 

Paul Castellano (1915–1985) -

Paul Castellano took over the leadership of the Gambino crime family after Carlo Gambino. Known as the "boss of bosses" or "the Godfather," Castellano ran the most dominant and influential crime organization in New York City. He viewed himself primarily as a businessman rather than a criminal, using legal businesses to extract money alongside more traditional illegal activities like gambling, pornography, and loansharking.

© Public Domain 

Paul Castellano -

While the previous leader chose a humble lifestyle away from attention, Castellano managed his group from an extravagant Staten Island mansion called the "white house."

© Getty Images 

Paul Castellano -

Castellano's appointment as the Gambino crime boss caused dissatisfaction among many members of the family, including one lieutenant named John Gotti. Gotti allegedly ordered the successful assassination of Castellano on December 16, 1985, outside Sparks Steak House in Manhattan, thus showing his disrespect towards him.

© Getty Images 

John Gotti (1940–2002) -

After Castellano passed away, John Gotti assumed leadership of the Gambino crime family, resulting in its ascent as the most dominant criminal organization in the United States.

© Public Domain 

John Gotti -

Gotti ruled firmly and swiftly rose to become one of the most dreaded and perilous crime leaders in the United States. He earned the nickname "Dapper Don" for his fashionable clothing and later became known as the "Teflon Don" because the numerous accusations against him never seemed to have any consequence. In 1992, Gotti was ultimately found guilty of several homicides with the assistance of underboss Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, who cooperated with the FBI as a state's witness in a plea bargain.

© Getty Images 

John Gotti -

Gotti was convicted on April 12, 1992, and received a life sentence with no possibility of parole. He passed away from cancer while incarcerated on June 10, 2002. This event signified the commencement of the downfall of the Cosa Nostra and its dominance over organized crime in both the United States and other regions.

See also: Who are the most infamous mobsters and gangsters?

© Public Domain