John Franzese

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John Franzese, undated photo after an arrest

John "Sonny" Franzese (born February 6, 1917 in Naples ; † February 24, 2020 in New York ) was an Italian-American who was one of the most famous members of the Colombo family . Arrested in 1967 at the age of 50, he was released as the oldest prisoner in the United States at the age of 100 in 2017 .

Role in the mafia

John Franzese was a member of the Colombo Family, one of the Five Families who rule organized crime in New York . After his family emigrated to the USA, Franzese joined the Profaci family, later called the Colombo family, at the end of the 1930s under the mafia boss Joseph Profaci . In 1938 he was arrested for the first time for robbery . In 1942 he was discharged from the American Army because he was found to be violent and criminal. In the following years Franzese worked his way up the hierarchy of the Mafia. He was involved in criminal transactions, fraud, forgery and dubious credit transactions. In 1963 he finally became the gang's underboss and thus their second highest member. He lost this title when he was arrested in March 1967 for bank robbery and the murder of "30-50" people.

John Franzese attended the Copacabana mafia nightclub , where Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Junior also frequented. At one of these meetings, Sinatra is said to have kissed Franzeses family ring.

Time in jail

John “Sonny” Franzese was sentenced in 1970 to 50 years in prison. During the course of his prison sentence, he was released on probation a total of six times , but repeatedly violated the conditions of probation , among other things by blackmailing a pizzeria and a strip club during his probationary period. In 2005 he was again the underboss of the Colombo family; this he was until his death. In one of the trials against him, his son John Francese Jr testified against his father. The FBI informant lives in a witness protection program today .

On June 23, 2017, John Franzese was discharged from the Federal Medical Center in Devens , Massachusetts , at the age of 100 . At this point he was already in a wheelchair.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Selwyn Raab: John Franzese, Mafioso Who Consorted With Celebrities, Dies at 103. In: New York Times. February 24, 2020, archived from the original on February 24, 2020 ; accessed on February 24, 2020 (English).
  2. ↑ John Franzese. In: Mafia Wiki. Retrieved February 24, 2020 . John Marzulli: Legendary mobster's bid for bail is whacked. In: NY Daily News . December 18, 2010, archived from the original on April 10, 2019 ; accessed on February 24, 2020 (English).
  3. ↑ Sidney E. Zion: Franzese Is Said to Have Killed '30 or 40 or 50 'Persons. In: NYTimes.com . March 4, 1967, accessed on August 5, 2017 (English, headline and teaser available).
  4. ↑ Tom Leonard: Mafia boss, 93, faces prison after son breaks code of silence. In: Telegraph.co.uk . July 8, 2010, accessed February 24, 2020 .
  5. ^ The Mafia in New Jersey - La Cosa Nostra - State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation 1989 Report - The Colombo / Persico / Orena Family. In: mafianj.com. 2008, accessed on February 24, 2020 .
  6. ^ New York: 50 murders, 100 years old - "Sonny" is free again. In: Welt Online . June 24, 2017, accessed February 24, 2020 .
  7. ↑ John "Sonny" Franzese from New York: 100-year-old ex-Mafia boss released from jail. In: Spiegel Online . June 24, 2017, accessed February 24, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Franzese, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Franzese, Sonny (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American mafioso
DATE OF BIRTH February 6, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH Naples
DATE OF DEATH February 24, 2020
Place of death new York