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. His account of what happened that evening was telling because he actually expressed remorse about it. Jesus suffered, he said. As for how many people John Franzese killed and disposed of this way, that remains uncertain. No doubt about it. No Frank Sinatra, no Dean Martin. 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.. Now 102 years old, John (Sonny) Franzese, the longtime underboss of the Colombo crime family, is the epitome of the old-style crime chieftain. I heard about you, Franzese said. Credit: Newsday / Ari Mintz, I was a firm believer that if a guy knew something about you, you had to worry about it, he said, referring to the men who actually robbed the banks and later testified that he was the mastermind behind them. One of his paramours was Jayne Mansfield, the buxom blonde star of the 1950s and 60s who was one of Playboys early centerfolds. Podell insisted that employees and customers alike adhere to a strict dress code. According to his son Michael, he passed away in a hospital in the New York area, but no further details were given. He was 93 years old at the time. r/Mafia. Adapted from SONNY: The Last of the Old-Time Mafia Bosses, John Sonny Franzese, by S. J. Peddie. Especially in his mafia career, Franzese was making money by making money for the family in various ways. 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. You should have asked, Did Frank Sinatra know Sonny Franzese?. Sonny was tough as nails. And although Franzese is angry about what he sees as his unjust imprisonment, he expressed no bitterness I done the time.. 82.4k. Sonny Franzese - Wikipedia To be sure, John Franzese wasnt leading a quiet life between his 1984 parole and his 2008 arrest. He then testified against his father, 93 at the time, and later entered the federal witness protection program. You have notifications blocked. He repeatedly refused. He didn't leave the life behind; he just found a way to repackage it. Hoffa was buried somewhere very wet and deep, out of New York and Jersey. You are a spark plug, ready to attack any situation. Podell also kept close to Sonny. He loved his children. 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. Monroe and Mr Masters apparently flew back to Los Angeles where he dropped her off at her home around 9am on Sunday August 5 1962. The film is based on Joyce Carol Oates . During a break in the proceedings, the elder Franzese rolled into the mens room in a wheelchair. Sonny Franzese back in 1966 was one of the pre-eminent organized crime figures in New York, if not the United States. Family and friends vouch for his assertion that he didnt drink, smoke or do drugs. He was deeplyin love with his second wife, Tina, whose volatile temper influenced the family dynamic as much as her husbands outlaw life. Sex and the City: The Spectacular Love Life of Mafia Boss Sonny Franzese People would come there to see me, too, Sonny said. Masters also appears to confirm the theory that Monroe was moved around before she died. She closed by reading a note her Sonny Grandpa had written to her. Not only was she ultimately proven right on both counts, but Franzese didnt even have to finish that prison term. In his first extended interviews following his release in June 2017 as the oldest inmate in the federal prison system, Franzese spoke to reporters as he never has, reflecting on a criminal life rooted in New York City and on Long Island that spanned the birth, glory days and current lower profile of traditional organized crime. That I promise.. And then I would go and play handball. Sonny Franzese romantic affair with Marilyn Monroe? # - YouTube Doubt she wastes her time with someone like Sonny at that point. 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). [23] In 2010, Franzese Jr. admitted that he received $50,000 from the FBI as a cooperating witness. eurobasket He also became known as someone who would act ruthlessly on his bosses orders. Her boyfriend was not far away on stage, but Sonny was not at all concerned. When Kennedys Learned of Marilyn Monroe & Sonny Franzese's - YouTube A couple who had just gotten engaged were walking at dusk through the streets near the church. [33], Franzese was married to a woman with whom he had three children. 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. I wasnt a guy that was afraid, you know, he said. That was the Madison Square Garden of show business., Part of the Copacabanas appeal was its exclusivity. He hated prisonbut set his mind to making the most of it. Once again, John Franzese had beaten the system. NEW YORK Legendary Colombo family capo John "Sonny" Franzese, who rubbed elbows with Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe before a bank robbery rap eventually made him the nation's oldest. Al moved to Chicago in the 1920s then Alcatraz after in the early 30s. He said he likes to keep his wits about him and remember things.. One night while the singer was performing onstage, Sonny struck up a conversation with her. Sinatra might have been high-handed, but Sonny felt a certain affinity for the singer. In 1967, Franzese was arrested for a series of bank robberies. Nonetheless, Franzese said he has no regrets about his life. Customers came to see the glittering roster of performers onstage, but were just as thrilled when they spotted celebrities, and mobsters, in the audience. However, this certainly doesnt mean the end of the Colombo crime family. Queens, New York. I didnt want to talk to him. He was chasing me all over the place. Franzese, who died on Monday, had lived in New York since he was released. "[1] In 2005, Franzese Jr. wore a wire around his father. John (Sonny)Franzese walks into the federal courthouse in Uniondale on June 18, 1982, as he surrenders to authorities. They didnt come there just to see the show . At 100 years old, mobster John (Sonny) Franzese the oldest inmate in the federal prison system was released Friday from a Massachusetts . But then, in 1967, he was convicted for his involvement in a bank robbery and sentenced to 50 years in prison. Sonny Franzese was ultimately convicted of the charges and, at the age of 94, was sentenced to eight years in prison. 'I done the time': Longtime mob underboss Sonny Franzese, 102 - Newsday John (Sonny) Franzese is escorted down a staircase by armed officers at Nassau County police headquarters in Mineola on Jan.5, 1967, on his way to an arraignment. [4] However, in May 2007, Franzese was again returned to prison for a parole violation. Send it to The Daily Beasthere. John Franzese, Mafioso Who Consorted With Celebrities, Dies at 103 His own son, John Jr., testified against him. (on-sale March 29, 2022), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window). John "Sonny" Franzese Photos The disclosure was made by George Masters, Monroes hair and make-up stylist, in recordings he made a month before his death in 1998. And I got in her, her drawers. 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. In an interview, John said he had become sober in 2001 after battling a yearslong drug addiction. She reported, You better believe I started drinking white wine spritzers at work functions. Maybe all the drugs he took. "Listen, it broke my heart. Theres, there is no question about it.. Some of their shared friends were put off by Sinatras arrogance. Wikimedia CommonsSonny Franzese (left) with famous boxer Rocky Graziano (center). That man can do jail time standing on his head.. Unblock. Do you know who my husband is? she replied. Franzese was sentenced to an indeterminate term with a maximum of 50 years, which essentially meant he could get out if he decided to cooperate with the government. Theres an expression, theres two things in life youre sure of, right? Cassato said. His Lips Are Sealed: the Death of Sonny Franzese, New York'S Last Old Sonny was born circa 1919. 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. Franzese told Fatato:[18]. And he apologized for what happened, especially near his church.. [1][14] His son, Michael, alleged that when Mishler sentenced his father, Franzese declared, "You watch. 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. In a frail voice, Mr Masters can be heard on the recordings saying: The night before she died, the last time I saw her, was in Lake Tahoe at the Cal-Neva Lodge. His son Michael, who initially followed his father into the mob, eventually left organized crime and became a born-again Christian and motivational speaker. You should have asked, Did Frank Sinatra know Sonny Franzese?. The claims are the first time that any mention has been made of such a trip in the days before Monroe died in 1962. She was there with Sam Giancana, who was the head of the Mafia.. Ava Gardner, I started to talk to her. Anything you need, you call me, Cassato said. Be the best.. Copyright 2023 Newsday. Play a lot of base ball with peoples kneecaps, eat well (the grilled cheese on the radiata) and have a reason to live (to outlive all the people that wronged you) and you'll look this good at that age. Hoffa was buried somewhere very wet and deep, out of New York and Jersey. Tennis They [would] come up to me, actually pick me up. He also infiltrated and began to make money through the owner of Calla Records, Nate McCalla, until the recording label ceased operations in 1977, and McCalla was murdered execution style in 1980. . [4][40] He was buried on February 28, at St. John Cemetery following his funeral at Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.[41]. John Sonny Franzese, in the center, is escorted to Elizabeth Street police station in New York after his arrest on a 43-count gambling charge. [13], However, on March 3, 1967, Franzese was convicted in Albany, New York of masterminding a series of four bank robberies across the country in 1965, and was finally sentenced to 50 years in prison at United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth, by judge Jacob Mishler in 1970, after several denied appeals. One of Monroe's last flings was Giancana, who was arguably the most powerful gangster in the country at that time, and was in Sinatra's circle. Longtime Colombo under-boss John " Sonny " Franzese is the living embodiment of the ultimate mob rule bragging in an interview about refusing to rat despite it making him the oldest federal. Cassato turned solemn without being somber at the end of the funeral, saying that Franzese now rested in Gods love and grace. [25], With the help of Franzese Jr.'s testimony, the 93-year-old Franzese Sr., on January 14, 2011, was sentenced to eight years in prison for extorting two Manhattan strip clubs, running a loanshark operation and extorting a pizzeria on Long Island. Salary in 2022. Marilyn Monroe 'spent her last night with mafia boss Sam Giancana at