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[36] However, in 1971, shortly after his father had been sentenced to 50 years in prison for bank robbery, he decided to drop out of college to help his family earn money. He vowed to do the whole bid.. [34] After the mob allowed John to divorce his first wife, Grillo disappeared, and he married Capobianco. Meanwhile, this movie star of a mobster even got involved in the film business himself as a financier for both The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in 1974 and Deep Throat, the infamous 1972 pornographic film that shared its name with the informant who helped The Washington Post break the Watergate scandal. Podell also kept close to Sonny. [10] After he was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1986, Michael was ultimately released in 1994 and retired to California in 1995. Franzese who now has a pacemaker, hearing aids and a broken hip had been tipped in the 1960s as a potential new Colombo boss. In 1944, he was dishonorably discharged from the Army for homicidal tendencies," according to court records. See, I used to play it right. On June 23, 2017, Franzese was released and returned home. You should have asked, Did Frank Sinatra know Sonny Franzese?. He chuckled as he perused old photos of himself in the tabloids, looking both fierce and dapper in his cashmere overcoat. All this from a man who was 91 at the time. Did a lot of time. Youse made him a superstar. According to law enforcement, Franzese remained the official underboss of the Colombo family. There were no flower cars outside the funeral of 103-year-old John Sonny Franzesebut gospel music, funny stories, and eulogies from his loving grandkids made it much grander. Colombos legendary gangster gangster John Sonny Franzese, who was with Frank Sinatra and befriended Marilyn Monroe before a bank robbery conviction made him the nations oldest federal inmate, died in a hospital of New York City. I watched the interview. Sonny was not a man inclined to express regret or embarrassment about anything he did. Franzese returned to the courtroom, where the jury made clear its view that he was guilty. Both had . She was madly in love with him. Legendary New York mobster John "Sonny" Franzese, the former underboss of the Colombo crime family, has died at 103, according to TMZ. Franzese looks far younger than he is and remembered details of the various criminal charges against him with clarity, particularly those surrounding the bank robbery conspiracy that he insists he was not involved in. It was May 19, 1962, when Monroe sashayed onto the stage of Madison Square Garden in a skintight, rhinestone-studded dress and sang a breathy Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy during a Democratic fundraiser. Do you know who my husband is? she replied. Its human nature.At the same time, he advised, As a leader, I needed to subdue my ego and do whats best for the organization.. Crowd tradition claimed that the early gangster became a man made at the age of 14, and he was soon conducting a crowd-controlled craps game. He became Colombo family underboss again in 2005, until he was convicted of extortion in 2011, and sentenced to eight years in prison. He said he likes to keep his wits about him and remember things.. [4] His mother had given him the nickname "Sonny" at a young age. Jayne sat down, and they began flirting. You wouldnt help us. I said, Go and F yourself! And I walked away from him.. So all of a sudden, boom, boom, boom, Jayne Mansfield comes walking out. Sonny needed to make room for her at his table, so he told his friend Johnny to leave. All rights reserved. John Franzese, known as Sonny, had been the federal prison systems oldest inmate and its only centenarian when he completed his last stint behind bars in 2017. The late Gambino boss John Gotti was caught on a federal wiretap marveling at Franzeses refusal to rat: Sonny Franzese, hes one tough [expletive] guy, one tough, [expletive]guy. The late Bernard Welsh, an FBI agent who arrested Franzese for violating parole, agreed in an interview with Newsday in 2017: He demanded so much respect because he did all that time and he never gave anyone up., Authorities believe Franzese personally killed or ordered the murders of dozens of people. He died in a New York City hospital on February 24, 2020, at the age of 103. That initially struck her as a very lonely way to proceed. This man was a hardened criminal who needed to pay, regardless of his age. He had grown up with street guys and had had his own youthful run-in with the law. Corona Virus By 1935, when he was 18, he said, he was running the largest craps game in New York. John "Sonny" Franzese Photos. What does that mean? he said with dramatic flourish. And on June 23, 2017, thanks to good behavior and credit for time served, the 100-year-old Franzese was released from prison. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Abroad Only now he gets to feel holy and forgiven while he cashes the checks. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. You had to remember it without writing anything down.. In college you couldnt bring a phone book with you, Maurice noted, saying Franzese could remember a thousand different phone numbers., He would rattle off these phone numbers, rattle off these names, tell you what to do, Maurice recalled. Afterward, John Franzese joined the Colombo crime family under boss Joseph Profaci. Credit: Newsday / Marvin Sussman. You are spunkier than all the women I met in life. You know what she told me? Franzeses commitment to the mobis so complete that he went along with contracts on the lives of two of his sons, who, unlike their father, cooperated with law enforcement, according to court records and one of the sons, Michael. He loved his children. His father, Carmine (The Lion) Franzese, had considerable prestige in the Mafia, according to Treasury Department records. [19] In June 2008, Franzese, still incarcerated, was indicted on charges of participating in murders during the Colombo Wars of the early 1990s, stealing fur coats in New York City in the mid 1990s, and participating in home invasions by police impersonators in Los Angeles in 2006. He had been the oldest inmate in the federal prison system, but now he was free and on his way to spend time at his daughters home in Brooklyn. More significantly for Franzese, Valachi identified him as a member of the Profaci family, which was the precursor to the Colombos, according to Senate records. Franzese, dark-haired and handsome, would claim dalliances with Monroe and actress Jayne Mansfield. After six months, his family returned with Franzese to their home in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where his father ran a bakery. For one, investigators said that Franzese had largely been able to avoid murder charges because of his knack for making bodies disappear. His account of what happened that evening was telling because he actually expressed remorse about it. I was ashamed. He was linked by law enforcement to multimillion-dollar. Franzeses son Michael remembers that when he and his father were discussing business, his father would routinely lead him into the bathroom of their Roslyn home and turn on the water to drown out their conversation. DiMaggioby then Monroes ex-husband, but still carrying a torch for hertried to approach Sonny to confront him about their affair. I wouldnt turn around., Sinatra was used to being in charge, but not when Sonny was around. Auto Once asked if he knew Sinatra, the gangster was quick to turn around the question: You asked the question the wrong way. She was hard as a rock.. advertising Interesting interview. Franzese also got involved in the music industry of the 1960s and 1970s, financing recordings by the likes of The Isley Brothers and Curtis Mayfield, while also using this business to launder his illicit mob earnings. The Rat Pack? You should have asked, Did Frank Sinatra know Sonny Franzese?. At the trial, John Franzese Jr. told jurors not to be fooled by his elderly fathers frail appearance (he was dubbed the Nodfather by the press due to his habit of dozing during the trial). [32] He also helped to finance the $22,000 budget of the 1972 pornographic film Deep Throat, which generated $3050 million, and the 1974 slasher film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which earned over $30 million from a $80,000140,000 investment. Common knowledge she was stepping out on Joe Dimaggio while in NY. Jeffrey Basinger/Newsday via Getty Images. It's possible someone like Sonny could have hooked up with Marilyn Monroe in her in the early days. report from 1965 described Franzese, then underboss of the Colombo family, as the fastest growing and most prominent shylock in the Greater New York area.. "Marilyn was gorgeous, forget about it." The mutual attraction proved irresistible, and their relationship led to an encounter that that left Sonny deeply ashamed. He worked in the record business and grossed part of the mafias alleged investment in the classic porn movie Deep Throat reportedly securing a piece of his alleged $ 600 million gross. Franzese, who died on Feb. 23 at age 103, recalled those nights recently as part of a series of interviews with Newsday over the past two years. He served as underboss of the Colombo family from 1963 until he was sentenced to 50 years in . Wikimedia CommonsOne of John Franzeses many mugshots. McShane writes for the New York Daily News. When he was arrested, he gave his occupation variously as salesman, baker or self-employed tailor, according to police records. And of course to take our zinc and our vitamins, she said. His violent inclinations didnt cease there. So I got her in the back room behind the bar . I wasnt a guy that was afraid, you know, he said. Adapted from SONNY: The Last of the Old-Time Mafia Bosses, John Sonny Franzese, by S. J. Peddie. However, Franzese ultimately beat the case. Franzese, dark-haired and handsome, allegedly claimed alliances with Monroe and actress Jayne Mansfield. During a break in the proceedings, the elder Franzese rolled into the mens room in a wheelchair. All are sealed, according to the court. He apparently assumed his estranged wife would not follow him there. But it wasnt announced until two years later. [16] Until 2008, he was never charged with another crime,[5] although he would return to prison on parole violations on at least six occasions. His procedure was to dismember the corpse in a kiddie pool, dry the severed body parts in a microwave oven, and then run the parts through a commercial-grade garbage disposal. If the club was filled, he would go to the back door and tell workers to set a table on the stage; and they did. He was, after all, Sonny Franzese. Within three years, three more followed two for disorderly conduct and one for third-degree assault but none of them stuck. It's better to take that half-an-hour, an hour, to get rid of the body than it is to leave the body on the street. John Jr., 58 Franzeses favorite child wore a wire to gather evidence against the Colombos. celebrities , updated By 1967, Franzese had gone into the music business, running Buddah Records and such groups as the Shirelles. In 2017, at the age of 100, the underboss of the Colombo crime family was released early from a prison sentence that would have capped off his turbulent life of crime. . She reported, You better believe I started drinking white wine spritzers at work functions. He didnt believe it would get me very far., He counseled her to know and study what others are doing., Do it better, or dont do it at all, she recalled him telling her. I liked Joe DiMaggio. He is from Italy. [8][9], He was accused of murdering Genovese crime family hitman-turned-informant Ernest Rupolo in 1964 on the orders of Vito Genovese. Podell became a staple in gossip columns, which, naturally, boosted his business. Ruggedly handsome with a swagger many women found irresistible, he frequented the citys top clubs, especially the Copacabana, where Frank Costello boss of the Luciano mob family, which was the precursor of todays Genovese family was a silent partner and Franzese was an honored guest among the celebrities. Not that I wanna brag, but I was in demand. The Hollywood actress is said to have spent the evening with Sam Giancana after taking the singers private jet to Cal-Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The made members Valachi named included Franzese, and law enforcement became so determined to build a case against him that agents installed a bug in his kitchen as his new home was being built. By one account, Franzese became a full-fledged made member of the Mafia at 14, the same year Al Capone went to prison, two years before the end of Prohibition forced organized crime to find primary sources of income other than bootlegging. In 2017, he was freed from prison, the . Privacy Policy |Terms of service |Subscription terms |Your ad choices |Cookie Settings |California Privacy Rights |About Us |Contact Newsday |Reprints & permissions |Advertise with Newsday |Help. Podell insisted that employees and customers alike adhere to a strict dress code. His wife made clear her displeasure with him over the crooked path their son had taken before becoming an informant. I hope so man. the news Still do. In the two-page letter, which was written in the early 1960s, Jean . She replied that her husband, Mickey Hargitay (who was 1955s Mr. Universe), would take her home. That didnt mean that he wouldnt try to move in on Sinatras girlfriend. Now you may not believe this, but, so help me God, she told it to meshe says to me, I made a lot of pictures. John "Sonny" Franzese Sr. (Italian: [frantseze; -ese]; February 6, 1917 - February 24, 2020) was an Italian-born American mobster who was a longtime member and former underboss of the Colombo crime family.. Franzese's career in organized crime began in the 1930s and spanned over eight decades. [28], Michael Franzese had entered a pre-med program at Hofstra University in 1969, as John Franzese originally did not want him to be involved in organized crime. But he built his fortune by theft and violence, and as far as I can see he's still making money off that lifestyle. And unless you knew otherwise, you would not have imagined that the bronze coffin borne up the steps contained the mortal remains of New Yorks last bigtime Mafia boss. He said, If you want to play rock and roll, first you have to play blues, then you have to play jazz. He was beginning to address the mourners when a glass collar at the top of a burning Paschal candle suddenly shattered. Sonny met and struck up relationships with beauties like actress Diahann Carroll. Tennis John Sonny Franzese, center, is escorted to the Elizabeth Street police station in New York after his arrest on a 43-count gambling indictment. I knew them all, he said. Jesus suffered, he said. A cause of death has not been announced. The more Im talking to her, I realize shes getting friendlier and friendlier. Get the hell off the table., The table erupted in laughter, but Johnny made his exit. It was a free-for-all, Sonny recalled. Linked by law enforcement to multimillion-dollar bookmaking, loan sharking and extortion rackets and caught on tape alluding to multiple murders he claimed to have committed, he remained mute through more than 35 years behind bars as mob boss after mob boss violated the mobscode of silence in exchange for lighter prison sentences. What if Sam Giancana said, Look, Frank, you didnt get it done. It changed the dynamics of these parties, but I think were all better for it.. But he did it." Now, Franzese who once ran in the same crowd as Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and Dagmar lives a much quieter life. 68.4k members in the Mafia community. When I was away I heard about you.. Sonny Franzese romantic affair with Marilyn Monroe? However, this certainly doesnt mean the end of the Colombo crime family. information Julie Podell thought I was the best thing that ever happened to him., It undoubtedly had a lot to do with business. Send it to The Daily Beasthere. Franzese's career in organized crime began in the 1930s and spanned over eight decades. By Franzeses death comes nearly three years after he was released from prison due to his advanced age. He worked in the record business, and put up some of the cash behind the mobs alleged investment in the classic porn flick Deep Throat reportedly securing a piece of its supposed $600-million gross. Later, he would become convinced that his affair with Monroewho was rumored to have been involved with Kennedys brother, U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, toowas what brought the wrath of the U.S. government down on him. Lets bring her back again so I can have a shot at it. But he deflected questions about his mob family, how he ran the rackets, or prominent mob bosses such as Frank Costello and Joseph Bonanno. Anything you need, you call me, Cassato said. Did you know she was pronounced dead, and then they brought her back to the house, and she was still alive, and they took her back to the hospital, and brought her back home, and then the coroners came over, and they found her dead in another bed somebody moved her, he says. Alert, animated and with slightly graying hair, he claimed to have struck up relationships with Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and the 1950s television star Dagmar. Nutt y son of a gun. Sonny and Gardner never did anything more than the few moments of groping each other in a back room, but it was still a conquest to Sonny. Today, Franzeseregularly uses a wheelchair to get around. Franzese returned to his family in Brooklyn after his release in 2017 from the Federal Medical Center in Danvers, Mass., leading a quiet life far from the spotlight of his youth. Calling himself a die-hard American, he said, I was a good soldier.. In that single year, four different prosecutors filed charges against him. But he said he manages to do 40 squats every morning and tries to walk as much as possible.