John 'Sonny' Franzese
| John 'Sonny' Franzese | |
|---|---|
| Born: | February 6, 1917 Naples, Italy (raised in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York)
|
| Charges: | Racketeering conspiracy (RICO), 2010, enterprise included extortion of Manhattan strip clubs (Penthouse Executive Club and Hustler Club) and loansharking; acquitted of extorting a Long Island pizzeria. Earlier: 1967 federal bank-robbery conspiracy conviction. |
| Sentence: | 8 years (2011 racketeering conviction); previously 50 years (1967 bank-robbery conspiracy conviction, paroled 1978) |
| Released: | June 23, 2017 (from FMC Devens) |
| Facility: | FMC Devens (medical facility) |
| Status: | Deceased, died February 24, 2020 (age 103); released from federal custody June 23, 2017 |
John "Sonny" Franzese (born February 6, 1917; died February 24, 2020) was an American organized-crime figure who served as a longtime member and former underboss of the Colombo crime family in New York. In 1967, he was convicted in federal court of orchestrating a series of bank robberies and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. He was paroled in 1978, but he returned to custody repeatedly for parole violations. In July 2010, Franzese was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York of racketeering conspiracy. Prosecutors said the criminal enterprise included extorting protection payments from Manhattan strip clubs and loansharking. On January 14, 2011, at age 93, he was sentenced to eight years in federal prison. He served that final term largely at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Devens in Massachusetts. Upon his release on June 23, 2017, at age 100, he was believed to be the oldest inmate in federal custody. He died in a New York City hospital on February 24, 2020, at age 103.
Early Life and Career
John Franzese was born on February 6, 1917, in Naples, Italy, while his immigrant parents, Carmine and Maria Franzese, were visiting. His family returned to Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York, where his father ran a bakery. Nicknamed 'Sonny' as a boy, he was one of a large family, with multiple sources describing him as having 18 to 19 siblings. Franzese rose in the Profaci crime family, which was later renamed the Colombo crime family, beginning in the 1930s and 1940s. He eventually became a captain (caporegime) and, later, the underboss. In 2005, at about age 88, he was described by prosecutors and the FBI as the Colombo family's underboss, or second in command.[1]
Criminal Case
Franzese's first major federal conviction came in 1967, when he was found guilty of planning a series of bank robberies involving four banks across state lines, totaling more than $60,000. He was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison, paroled in 1978, and returned to custody multiple times over the following decades for parole violations. The case central to his final imprisonment arose from a multi-defendant Colombo investigation in the Eastern District of New York under docket 1:08-cr-00240.[2] Prosecutors charged that Franzese, acting as underboss, participated in a racketeering enterprise that engaged in loansharking and extorted protection payments from New York City businesses, including the Penthouse Executive Club and a Hustler-branded strip club. Defendants tried alongside him included Colombo associates Joseph DiGorga and Christopher Curanovic, who were both convicted of racketeering conspiracy, and John Capolino, who was convicted of extortionate collection of credit conspiracy. Based on his own uncorroborated self-attributed estimation to associates, Franzese claimed involvement in dozens of killings, though he was never convicted of any homicide.
Trial and Sentencing
Following roughly three weeks of trial before U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan in Brooklyn, a federal jury on July 2, 2010, convicted Franzese of racketeering conspiracy, but he was acquitted of extorting a Long Island pizzeria.[3] The defendants had faced a maximum of 20 years. On January 14, 2011, at age 93, Judge Cogan sentenced Franzese to eight years in federal prison.[4] Prosecutors had argued for at least 12 years, citing his leadership role and continued criminal activity, while the defense stressed his advanced age and frailty. A central element of the trial was the testimony of his son, John Franzese Jr., a former Colombo associate who cooperated with the government and recorded conversations. He was reported to be the first son of a New York mobster to testify against his own father in open court.
Incarceration
Franzese served the final years of his eight-year federal sentence at FMC Devens (medical facility), a Bureau of Prisons medical facility located near Ayer, Massachusetts. He was released from FMC Devens on June 23, 2017, at age 100.[5] At the time of his release, he was widely documented as the oldest inmate in federal custody and the only centenarian held in the federal prison system.[6]
Release and Aftermath
After completing his sentence in 2017, Franzese returned to the New York area. He died in a New York City hospital on February 24, 2020, at age 103, and no specific cause of death was publicly disclosed.[7] His criminal career and his son's subsequent cooperation received extensive press coverage and were later documented in true-crime media.[8]
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What did John "Sonny" Franzese do?
He was a longtime member and former underboss of the Colombo crime family. He was convicted in 1967 of orchestrating a series of bank robberies (50-year sentence) and again in 2010 of racketeering conspiracy tied to extorting New York City strip clubs and loansharking (8-year sentence).
Q: How long was his sentence?
For the 2010 racketeering conspiracy conviction he was sentenced on January 14, 2011, to eight years in federal prison. Decades earlier, his 1967 bank-robbery conspiracy conviction had carried a 50-year sentence, for which he was paroled in 1978.
Q: Where was John "Sonny" Franzese incarcerated?
He served the final portion of his eight-year term at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Devens, a Bureau of Prisons medical facility near Ayer, Massachusetts, and was released from there in 2017.
Q: When was he released?
He was released from FMC Devens on June 23, 2017, at age 100, believed to be the oldest inmate in federal custody at the time. He died on February 24, 2020, at age 103.
Q: Who testified against him?
His son, John Franzese Jr., a former Colombo associate who cooperated with the government and wore a wire, testified against him at the 2010 trial.
See also
References
- ↑ "Colombo Organized Crime Family Underboss John "Sonny" Franzese Convicted of Racketeering Conspiracy and Loansharking". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "United States v. Curanovic, 1:08-cr-00240 (E.D.N.Y.), docket (Franzese co-defendant case)". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York, press release (Franzese conviction)". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "93-Year-Old Crime Boss Gets Sentenced (Franzese, 8 years)". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "Greenpoint's Notorious Sonny Franzese Released from Prison at Age 100". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "'Sonny' Franzese, oldest federal prisoner, is freed at 100". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "Longtime Colombo figure John 'Sonny' Franzese dies at 103". '. Retrieved .
- ↑ "Colombo Underboss John 'Sonny' Franzese Dead at 103". '. Retrieved .