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John FranzeseAmerican gangster of Italian descent
Date of Birth: 06.02.1917
Country:  Italy |
Content:
- John "Sonny" Franzese
- Military Service and Alleged Crimes
- Rise in the Colombo Crime Family
- Involvement in Recording Industry and Murder Allegations
- Bank Robberies and Imprisonment
- The "Master of Murder"
- Final Conviction and Release
- Family and Death
John "Sonny" Franzese
Early Life and Involvement in CrimeJohn "Sonny" Franzese was born in Naples, Italy, on February 6, 1917, to Carmine Franzese and Maria Corvola. He immigrated to the United States with his family as an infant. Growing up in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Franzese began working under the wing of Joseph Profaci, boss of the Profaci crime family (later renamed the Colombo crime family), in the late 1930s.
Military Service and Alleged Crimes
Franzese was drafted into the United States Army during World War II in 1942 but was discharged later that year after being classified as a "psychoneurotic with marked homicidal tendencies." He was accused of raping a waitress in 1947 but was never arrested for the crime.
Rise in the Colombo Crime Family
Franzese became a made man in 1950 and served under Sebastian "Buster" Aloi's crew. He was promoted to caporegime, or captain, in the Colombo family in the mid-1950s and became the underboss under boss Joseph Colombo by 1963.
Involvement in Recording Industry and Murder Allegations
Franzese laundered illicit mafia earnings and bribed disc jockeys through payola while working with Buddah Records and Calla Records. He was accused of murdering Genovese crime family informant Ernest Rupolo in 1964, but was later acquitted.
Bank Robberies and Imprisonment
In 1967, Franzese was convicted and sentenced to 50 years in prison for organizing a series of four bank robberies across the country in 1965. He was paroled in 1978 but returned to prison in 1982 for violating parole. He was paroled again in 1984.
The "Master of Murder"
In 2006, Franzese revealed his methods for concealing murders to Colombo associate Gaetano "Guy" Fatato, unaware that Fatato was a government informant. Franzese emphasized the importance of disposing of bodies properly, recommending dismemberment, drying out the parts in a microwave, and discarding them through an industrial-sized garbage disposal.
Final Conviction and Release
Franzese was重新提升为副老板科伦坡家族2005年，但于2007年再次因违反假释条款而入狱。2008年6月，仍在服刑的弗兰塞斯被指控参与20世纪90年代初的科伦坡家族战争、20世纪90年代中期的纽约皮草盗窃和2006年在洛杉矶冒充警察入侵民宅。2011年1月14日，93岁的弗兰塞斯被判处八年监禁，罪名包括敲诈勒索两家曼哈顿脱衣舞俱乐部、经营一家信用服务公司和敲诈长岛一家比萨店。
Family and Death
Franzese was married and had children. He later met and married Cristina Capobianco, with whom he had another son, Michael. Michael Franzese became a government informant who testified against his father. John "Sonny" Franzese died at the age of 103 on February 24, 2020, at a New York City hospital.
