Migliore was born in Queens. As a teenager he was recruited by capo Joseph Lorato, and began controlling some illegal gambling operations in Queens. By the time he was twenty-one, in 1957, Migliore was earning $50,000 a day. On November 14, 1957, Migliore was suspected to have missed the famous Apalachin Meeting, a national Cosa Nostra summit in Apalachin, New York which was broken up by law enforcement. The next day he was in a car accident while driving through Binghamton most likely picking up boss Gaetano Lucchese and underboss Stefano "Steve" LaSalle who had been released from custody.