The U.S. Navy freed Lucky Luciano to use mafia dock alliances against Axis saboteurs

Evidence

One of the most notorious gangsters in the New York City mafia, Luciano—along with close associates Meyer Lansky and Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel—organized the American mob into a powerful and wealthy national crime syndicate boasting a corporate structure and command over drugs, prostitution, and a range of other rackets. Eventually Luciano ended up in prison, but he managed to gain an early release by helping Navy officers who were concerned about protecting New York harbor from Axis spies and saboteurs during World War II. Luciano had close ties to the unions that controlled the docks. From his cell, he recommended that fellow mafiosi aid in the wartime campaign, and he had Lansky introduce them to Naval Intelligence officials. — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 330

Categorization

• XREF: A concrete, named case study of the ‘military gets into bed with criminals’ mechanism the reader cares about.