Carlos Marcello tossed around cash like crumbs to pigeons. In return, the cops, district attorneys, and the politicians would do what he asked without question. Carlos liked to say that he secret to his success was that he always remembered just how everyone “liked dey coffee.”

One police chief liked precious antiques; another had free goods funneled to his family restaurant; another ran wild at Carlos’s gambling houses. Carlos knew how to listen and give everyone just what they needed to feel appreciated.