Michael Franzese
Birthday: Born in 1951-05-27 in Brooklyn, New York, USA
Deathday: Alive
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.
TV Credits
Mafia States of America
Character: Michael Franzese
After two years of tough negotiations, Valuetainment Media brings you a Mafia Sit Down for the ages. Never before have you seen two Made Men discuss La Cosa Nostra in this capacity…...
Fear City: New York vs The Mafia
Character: Self. Captain. Colombo Family (gasoline scheme)
New York City in the 1970s was ruled with a bloody fist by five mafia families, until a group of federal agents tried the unthinkable: taking them down....
Movie Credits
Let There Be Light
Character: Pastor Vinny
An atheist goes through a near-death experience in an auto accident before converting to Christianity....
The Definitive Guide to the Mob
Character: Host
What is life really like in the American mafia? How do you get in, get made and make money? And what happens when you get in too deep? THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE MOB answers all of these questions and more by turning to the ultimate authority: former Colombo family captain Michael Franzese. Michael grew up in this world, following in the footsteps of his father, Colombo family underboss Sonny Franzese, and he earned more money for the organization than anyone since Al Capone. Michael also did w...