When the pressure of federal subpoenas and street rivalry escalated, the couple retreated to their estate in Sands Point, Long Island. Purchased in the 1940s, the multi-acre waterfront retreat placed them among New York's wealthiest industrial families. In Sands Point, Costello shed his underworld identity. He traded tailored pinstripe suits for casual linen shirts, spending hours walking the grounds with their dogs.
Geigerman turned the estate into a masterwork of horticulture. Rare black-and-white photos from the 1950s show Costello working in the greenhouse, trimming imported orchids, and examining rose bushes alongside his wife. This was not a front manufactured for neighbors. Local tradespeople and domestic workers repeatedly told reporters that the Costellos lived like quiet, wealthy retirees. They kept their voices low, paid contractors promptly in cash, and went out of their way to avoid local gossip.
