He lived to be 103 years old. According to his son Michael, he passed away in a hospital in the New York area, but no further details were given. A cause of death has not been announced. ", "A Godfather Betrayed by His Namesake, Part II", "Hundred-year-old mobster's daughter gushes over dad's freedom", "John Franzese, Mafioso Who Consorted With Celebrities, Dies at 103", "Geriatric NY gangster, 93, gets 8 years in prison", "Legendary Colombo underboss John (Sonny) Franzese sees his holiday bid for bail whacked", "Italian mob boss freed from prison at 100-years-old", "Al Sharpton's Secret Work As FBI Informant", "At 100, mob underboss Sonny Franzese gets out of federal prison", "2 Nabbed in Heist of Elmhurst Bank; Cosa Link is Seen", "Franzese Is Said to Have Killed '30 or 40 or 50' Persons", "NEW BREED SAID TO EMERGE IN ORGANIZED CRIME", "Franzese and 4 are found guilty; Albany jury convicts them in bank robberies", "Five Mafia Families Open Rosters to New Members", Feds want jury to hear Sonny talk about mob murders", "Crime Figure Seized on L.I. He repeatedly refused. Sonny met actress Marilyn Monroe, not at the Copa, but at the Stork Club, thanks to an introduction by Frank Costello. John "Sonny" Franzese - A Colombo Family Legend Getting in wasnt easy. 09:25 GMT 28 Apr 2011 They [would] come up to me, actually pick me up. But one particular patron never had a problem. I watched the interview. He was wrong. 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. In October, the Queens district attorney indicted him in the homicide of Ernest (The Hawk) Rupolo, a one-eyed mob hit man from Baldwin. [20], On June 4, 2008, Franzese was indicted along with other Colombo mobsters on charges of racketeering, conspiracy, robbery, extortion, narcotics trafficking, and loansharking. Get the hell off the table., The table erupted in laughter, but Johnny made his exit. Upon reflection, what he meant was that everyone in any work situation was ultimately always going to put themselves first, even if subconsciously. "Marilyn was gorgeous, forget about it." The mutual attraction proved irresistible, and their relationship led to an encounter that that left Sonny deeply ashamed. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. The charges wereand continue to bewidely viewed as false. Sonny was always nattily dressed and knew full well that reporters would describe his wardrobe in detail, his cashmere coats included: In those days, cashmere was expensive.. She has won more than 50 journalism awards and was a finalist for the Public Service Pulitzer Prize in 2014. John Sonny Franzese, who was one of the deadliest, richest, and longest-living Mafia bosses, died on February 25, 2019. coronavirus See? Maurice said. Screwed his mind up.. Following Monroes death a host of conspiracy theories emerged, but on the tapes Masters is clear about the reason why she died. The bronze coffin was covered with an American flag in recognition of Franzeses service during World War II, even though it was cut short for reasons that are not entirely clear. Family business. Queens, New York. His own son, John Jr., testified against him. Because its my principle.. Not only was she ultimately proven right on both counts, but Franzese didnt even have to finish that prison term. [24] He is the first son of a New York mobster to turn state's evidence and testify against his father. Masters also appears to confirm the theory that Monroe was moved around before she died. Ava Gardner, I started to talk to her. To be sure, John Franzese wasnt leading a quiet life between his 1984 parole and his 2008 arrest. But then, in 1967, he was convicted for his involvement in a bank robbery and sentenced to 50 years in prison. Yet he was tried for murder only once, and he was acquitted. And hes likely to die behind bars.. [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. No doubt about it. Though he evaded capture for years, Sonny Franzeses criminal ways did eventually catch up with him but not before he skated by the law one more time. He thought it was a joke. He is largely responsible for the glamorization of the Mafia over the past century, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Cristina Posa after his 2017 release. COVID-19 Nutt y son of a gun. Sonny and Gardner never did anything more than the few moments of groping each other in a back room, but it was still a conquest to Sonny. The film is based on Joyce Carol Oates . They wanted me to roll all the time, he said over a bowl of pasta e fagioliin the nursing home where he now lives. He spoke to Newsday, in part, because he said he remembers reporters treating him fairly after his conviction for conspiracy to rob banks in 1967. 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. Franzeses first recorded arrest came on Jan. 7, 1938, in Brooklyn for felonious assault. Corona Virus She reported his essential advice for all his grandchildren. Sonny was not at all ashamed of his many infidelitiesI was a run-around guybut it bothered him that he had hurt a man he idolized. Common knowledge she was stepping out on Joe Dimaggio while in NY. Rupolo was shot and stabbed several times before his feet were attached to two concrete blocks and his hands tied before being dumped into Jamaica Bay. In 1967, Franzese was arrested for a series of bank robberies. Nick Sorrentino/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesJohn Sonny Franzese. If true, they would rewrite the final act in the actresss life and raise fresh questions about her death. For all his murky past, he was a stickler for outward appearances. Active in the criminal underworld well into his 90s, Franzese was convicted on federal charges of running extortion rackets in New York in 2011. He and three fellow Brooklyn vocalists made the send-off all the more unlike what anybody might expect. [10] After he was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1986, Michael was ultimately released in 1994 and retired to California in 1995. The Hollywood actress is said to have spent the evening with Sam Giancana after taking the singers private jet to Cal-Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. I hope so man. The mortal remains of John Sonny Franzese were then carried back out to the hearse. Colombo's legendary gangster gangster John "Sonny" Franzese, who was with Frank Sinatra and befriended Marilyn Monroe before a bank robbery conviction made him the nation's oldest federal inmate, died in a hospital of New York City. He knew Frank Sinatra in his heyday, a CBS News article described the New York mobsters conviction. Shell listen to me. [28] Franzese was released from the Federal Medical Center in Devens, Massachusetts, on June 23, 2017, at the age of 100; he was the oldest federal inmate in the United States and the only centenarian in federal custody at the time of his release. FBI director J. Edgar Hoover listed Franzese's prison term among the bureau's major achievements for 1967, along with sentences for extortion given to hoodlums Charles Battaglia of Tucson, Arizona, and Sam Battaglia of . In an interview, John said he had become sober in 2001 after battling a yearslong drug addiction. But despite the odds, that wasnt the case. Only now he gets to feel holy and forgiven while he cashes the checks. Their collective charges included racketeering, gangland hits, the theft of fur coats in New York, and a home invasion in Los Angeles with Franzese held responsible as the underboss of the crime family. John Jr., 58 Franzeses favorite child wore a wire to gather evidence against the Colombos. There were no flower cars outside the funeral of 103-year-old John Sonny Franzesebut gospel music, funny stories, and eulogies from his loving grandkids made it much grander. He died in a New York City hospital on February 24, 2020, at the age of 103. As a "made man" for the Colombo crime family, he . Hoffa was buried somewhere very wet and deep, out of New York and Jersey. He hated prisonbut set his mind to making the most of it. [19] In June 2008, Franzese, still incarcerated, was indicted on charges of participating in murders during the Colombo Wars of the early 1990s, stealing fur coats in New York City in the mid 1990s, and participating in home invasions by police impersonators in Los Angeles in 2006. People just liked me, you know what I mean? Still do. 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 conviction was based, in large part, on tapes made by his son John, who also testified against his father. Adapted from SONNY: The Last of the Old-Time Mafia Bosses, John Sonny Franzese, by S. J. Peddie. Legendary mobster John 'Sonny' Franzese dies at 103 That I promise.. Wikimedia CommonsSonny Franzese (left) with famous boxer Rocky Graziano (center). It's possible someone like Sonny could have hooked up with Marilyn Monroe in her in the early days. One of his paramours was Jayne Mansfield, the buxom blonde star of the 1950s and 60s who was one of Playboys early centerfolds. [5], Franzese operated out of New York City and New Jersey and was involved in racketeering, fraud, and loansharking. Johnny got up, but couldnt help but protest: Sonny, youre too much. He took the witness standnot because he was charged with a crimebut because he needed to testify against the wiseguy life he was desperate to escape. Over the years, Franzese has listed his legitimate job as a tailor, baker and seller. Cassato turned solemn without being somber at the end of the funeral, saying that Franzese now rested in Gods love and grace. He was deeplyin love with his second wife, Tina, whose volatile temper influenced the family dynamic as much as her husbands outlaw life. John Franzese Jr. testified against his dad, Sonny - Newsday He was 103 years old. She died in 2012. the news They hit on me like I was Rudolph Valentino. Once he was asked if he knew Sinatra, the gangster hurriedly asked the question: You asked the question the wrong way. [23] In 2010, Franzese Jr. admitted that he received $50,000 from the FBI as a cooperating witness. All are sealed, according to the court. A couple who had just gotten engaged were walking at dusk through the streets near the church. Got A Tip? Here I am in a place, theres three hundred fifty people here, and youre the best-looking guy here, too., She says, Sonny, youre the best-looking guy I ever went out with., For Sonny, a woman like Mansfield was simply fun.
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