The Long Slide Down

Overall things were going well for Valachi, but nothing lasts forever. The return of Genovese would shake the world of Valachi and change it forever. On his return Vito Genovese was putting in place a plan to regain the loyalty of the soldiers of his old Family. He had a long-term plan to regain control, which he would bring about ten years later. He intervened in a problem that had arisen due to Valachi's beating of a made mob member, that he felt was stealing funds from an investment. Valachi had been called before the Commission and was called to task by the "mad hatter", Albert Anastasia. This was a serious matter and a violation of one of the major rules for made men. Anastasia's reliance on the use of violence to keep soldiers in line meant that Valachi could be faced with either a costly penalty or a possible violent punishment. Genovese's intervention and offer of financial help was an effort to bring Valachi and other soldiers back into his sphere of influence.

The murder of a mob member a close friend and ally of Frank Costello, was viewed as Genovese's the opening gambit in his dangerous game mob leadership. In 1948, Frank Costello ordered his men to stay out of drugs. In the absence of Luciano and Genovese, he was the acting boss, and in his opinion, the risks of drug dealing far outweighed the benefits. Other families chose to either pay lip service to this philosophy or simply ignore it. Valachi watched around him as a series of murders took place as Genovese continued with his efforts to regain control of the organization. During this same period the involvement of organized crime in the drug market began to increase. While the leadership continued to talk about no involvement in the drug market, Valachi had become aware that any shipments he dealt with included a cut to members of the Commission. The profits to be made through drugs were just too great to be ignored by the mob.

1957 turned out to be a bad year for both the mob and Valachi. First, Frank Costello was shot as he returned to his apartment on Central Park West in Manhattan. Although he was only slightly wounded, he knew that Vito Genovese had set up the assassination attempt and that the next one might not fail. He bowed down and retired gracefully from the family leadership. Second, Anastasia sat down for what was to be his last haircut in chair number four at the barber shop in the Park-Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan. He'd wrested control of the family by killing, and now it was his turn. Two masked gunmen walked in and blasted Albert out of the barber chair. Third, New York State police officers arrested dozens of men who had congregated at an estate in upper New York at a place called Apalachin. It began to look like the world of organized crime was destroying itself. Valachi had his own problems when a liquor permit was lifted from his restaurant, he found that he partner in the dress business had been withholding taxes, and to make up for the loss of revenue Valachi began to move deeper into the drug rackets. This turned out to be a mistake since Valachi would soon be behind bars due to his involvement in the drug trade. His time was to be served with his old boss Genovese. And soon Genovese had developed the idea that it was Valachi who had set him up for a long sentence to prison due to drugs.

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