John “Sonny” Franzese the infamous underboss of the Colombo crime family is scheduled to be released from prison on June 25th.
The 100-year-old mobster is currently being held at the Federal Medical Center in Devens, Massachusetts and is the nation’s oldest federal prisoner. When the high-ranking New York mafia leader went on trial back in 2010 and was sentenced to eight years behind bars for shaking down strip clubs and a pizzeria many doubted he would make it out considering his advanced age and multiple health problems. But the oldest Mafiosi to ever be locked up keeps finding a way to beat the odds. Franzese had petitioned the court a year ago for a compassionate release due to his failing health but was granted no such mercy due to his extensive criminal record.
“John Franzese”
According to reports, the aging mobster is now confined to a wheelchair along with being both deaf and blind. Although it was his own son and namesake John Franzese, Jr. who testified against him back in 2010 convincing jurors that Sonny was not the ailing man he seemed to be. In one of his criminal trials, evidence suggested that Franzese may have whacked as many as 50 people during his storied career in Cosa Nostra. The FBI captured him on a secret recording once discussing with mafia underlings the chopping up of a body in a backyard kiddie pool and then drying out the pieces using his microwave.
It seems that his advanced age and declining health may have finally caught up to the elder mobster and it seems unlikely that he can maintain a role in the Colombo family upon his release. But Sonny has proven experts wrong on many fronts over the years that it is impossible to completely rule out the chance he could remain somewhat of an advisor to the family in some capacity esp if his current health conditions have been somewhat exaggerated which has been common over the years when it comes to aging mobsters. Although the feds still consider him to be the official underboss of the NY Mafia family his days as one of the high-ranking leaders within the organization are clearly behind him.
In a lifestyle filled with so much violence and treachery, it is remarkable that a man who holds so many mafia secrets and certainly created his share of enemies has survived this long. No doubt about it Franzese has been and always will be a New York Mafia and organized crime legend!
Not many like Sonny around anymore guys is still stand up and a real gangster at 100. No doubt a legend in mob circles although it seems like his health really has caught up to him after all this time and is likely near the end and is pretty damn lucky he is making it out one last time. I don’t think he will be of much use to the Colombo family moving forward but its clear he is still heavily respected.
A real legend.. WOW.
very true they don’t make guys like him anymore part of a dying breed real gangster
Heyy its like in trenton nj what was the chambers burg it was like princeton in the burg but when they got rid away our things of ours it went to the animals the burg was the black ???? diamond of trenton sure not no more in god we trust always.
Huh???
what language are you speaking.
Burgenese apparantly !!!
Im not one to glorify killers or be a fanboy of gangsters but in this case I gotta say he is definitely an anomaly! Stone cold gangster, killer, earner. One son rats on him proper, the other one well who knows what his angle is haha. The government definitely had a hard on for the old man also. Some of his convictions were bullshit also… His son Michael explains some of that in his book and I’m inclined to believe some of it to some degree anyway. I’m at least impressed with his longevity especially with all the dudes he killed over the years. He is indeed a special kind of gangster. He spent half his life in prison also. I always have this nagging feeling that Michael Franzese never fully quit the life either. As clever as he always was its not impossible to believe he may have played the whole situation to his own benefit..Maybe Im wrong and he is truly a Born Again Christian and quit the life officially. If so then fair play to him but I suspect there is more to that story.
I think Micheal most likely quit the life although i also think your right that he def played the situation to his benefit. He surely hung on to a lot more cash than the feds etc believed and I think he knew with his name etc the government would not rest until they had him locked away so he decided then to take advantage while he could and get over on everyone and walk away well off and scot-free. He was a smart guy but wasn’t half the gangster his old man was so his future was brighter outside of Cosa Nostra more so than in it and he knew it.
I agree he wasn’t even close to the gangster his old man was. He always claimed he never killed anyone either. I don’t doubt that he never pulled a trigger but he probably at least had some involvement in a hit? As far as Yuppie Gangsters go he was a hell of a lot tougher and more clever then say Bill Bonnano haha. Could you imagine being a lifelong tough guy street soldier in that family and then having the old man name his nerd son as the new Consigliere!!! I’m not surprised they started to fracture after that…
Right he was definitely on a higher level than say bill as he had a better handle on mob rackets and how to earn. Not sure he was ever really involved directly in any hits but would have to imagine he at least had knowledge of a couple during his time in the family.
Good luck sonny! U r still one of the most stand up guys around. U we always b one of the most respected guys ever
How the fuck could you rat on your own father?? Wasn’t it he himself who chose the life and not his father where was his honor or self respect when he testified against his own blood???
“Recruitment of future rats” is actually one of the reasons why LCN became such a joke the last 30 a 40 years…