Michael Franzese

Known for

Writing

Born

May 27, 1951

From

Brooklyn, New York, USA

Michael Franzese (born May 27, 1951) is an American former New York mobster and caporegime of the Colombo crime family, and son of former underboss John Franzese. Franzese was enrolled in a pre-med program at Hofstra University, but dropped out to make money for his family after his father was sentenced to 50 years in prison for bank robbery in 1967. He eventually helped implement a scheme to defraud the federal government out of gasoline taxes in the early 1980s. By the age of 35, in 1986, Fortune Magazine listed Franzese as number 18 on its list of the "Fifty Most Wealthy and Powerful Mafia Bosses". Franzese had claimed that at the height of his career, he was making up to $8 million per week. In 1986, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison on conspiracy charges, released in 1989, rearrested in 1991 for a parole violation, and ultimately released in 1994. Soon after, he retired to California and is now a motivational speaker and writer.

Credits

Fear City: New York vs The Mafia

20206.8out of 10

Let There Be Light

20175.5out of 10

Mafia States of America

20217.7out of 10

The Definitive Guide to the Mob

20120.0out of 10

Knights of the City

19865.2out of 10

Savage Streets

19846.3out of 10

God the Father

20146.5out of 10

Mausoleum

19835.1out of 10