Centenarian mobster Franzese passes

Colombo Crime Family big shot John "Sonny" Franzese died Sunday, February 23, 2020, at the age of 103, according to published reports. Family sources indicated that Franzese, a longtime resident of the Long Island Village of Roslyn, died following a brief illness.

(While it appears he was at least 100 at the time of his death, Franzese's age has been inconsistently reported over the years. He was widely reported to be forty-seven when indicted in March 1966, placing his birth in 1918-1919. That birth timing was confirmed when he was arrested as a parole violator in spring 1986 at the stated age of 67. However, more recent reports have added a couple of years. The age of 103 noted in his obits puts his birth in 1916-1917.)

The Neapolitan Franzese reportedly began his underworld career as an enforcer and hit man. Franzese's power and influence were greatest in the 1960s, when as crime family lieutenant, he supervised Colombo rackets on Long Island and invested in "adult" night spots, Times Square peep shows and massage parlors, recording companies and pornographic movies.

Law enforcement began catching up with Franzese in the middle of that decade. He was indicted in March 1966 for acting as an enforcer for a lucrative Manhattan bookmaking ring, in the following month for leading a gang responsible for bank robberies across the U.S. and in October of the same year in connection with the 1964 murder of Ernest "the Hawk" Rupolo. Franzese once told Newsday that he felt the collection of charges in that period were due to a "conspiracy to get me."

Prosecutors got him only on the bank robbery conspiracy charge. For that federal offense, in April 1967 he was sentenced to up to fifty years in prison and fined $20,000. Franzese always insisted that he was innocent. He viewed the cases against him and the long prison sentence as government attempts to convince him to provide evidence against his underworld associates. He boasted of his commitment to the Mafia code of silence.

"They wanted me to roll all the time," Franzese recalled for an interview with Newsday. "I couldn't do that, because it's my principle. Jesus suffered; He didn't squeal on nobody."

Franzese remained free on $150,000 bail as his legal appeals in the bank robbery case were processed. (His attorneys argued that evidence against him had been obtained through the use of illegal electronic surveillance in the kitchen of his Roslyn home.) The appeals were unsuccessful, and he began serving his sentence on March 26, 1970, just three days before the Easter holiday. He was released on parole for the first time in 1978, but was sent back to prison on five different occasions for violating parole.

Franzese, then in his nineties, was convicted in 2010 of extorting New York businesses. He was sentenced to serve eight years in prison. He was last released from prison in June 2017.

In recent years, Franzese lived in a nursing home, needed a wheelchair to get around due to a broken hip and reportedly was fitted with a heart pacemaker and hearing aids.


Sources:

• Brown, Lee, "102-year-old mobster: 'I never hurt nobody that was innocent," New York Post, nypost.com, March 27, 2019.
• Burke, Cathy, "Colombo underboss Sonny Franzese looks back on 102 years with no regrets, and a boast that he's never been a rat," New York Post, nypost.com, March 27, 2019.
• "Cosa Nostran held as robberies brain," Plainfield NJ Courier-News, April 13, 1966, p. 7.
• "Crime figure seized on L.I.; Parole violations are cited," New York Times, April 29, 1986, p. 36.
• Everett, Arthur, "Mob tightening grip on pornography," Vineland NJ Times Journal, Dec. 14, 1972, p. 21.
• Failla, Zak, "Man who led Colombo Family's Long Island rackets dies," Suffolk Daily Voice, dailyvoice.com, Feb. 24, 2020.
• "Franzese loses bid to upset verdict," New York Times, March 27, 1970, p. 37.
• Kirkman, Edward, and Arthur Mulligan, "Put halter on big bookie 'muscle man," New York Daily News, March 25, 1966, p. 2.
• Peddie, Sandra, "John 'Sonny" Franzese dead: Longtime Colombo underboss was 103, family says," Newsday, newsday.com, Feb. 24, 2020.
• Pugh, Thomas, William Federici and Richard Henry, "Indict 5 Cosa hoods in killing of 6th," New York Daily News, Oct. 4, 1966, p. 3.
• Sherman, William, "Mafia declares war, but porn king survives," New York Daily News, Dec. 13, 1972, p. 5. 
• Walsh, Robert, "Franzese gets new suit; it's a jailstriper," New York Daily News, March 27, 1970, p. 24. 
• Walsh, Robert, and Henry Lee, "Tag 9 guys & a gal in bank holdups, Inc.," New York Daily News, April 13, 1966, p. 3.

Michael Persico released on $5M bail

Accused racketeer Michael Persico was released May 16 on $5 million bail, according to a story by John Marzulli of the New York Daily News. The 53-year-old son of imprisoned Colombo Crime Family boss Carmine "the Snake" Persico, Michael Persico was charged in Brooklyn federal court March 8 of extorting a construction company into hiring a mob-controlled trucking firm to help remove debris from the site of the 2001 World Trade Center bombing. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. Judge Carol Amon approved the release on several conditions. Persico must wear an electronic monitoring bracelet. He may not leave his Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, home aside from driving his daughters to school. His telephone conversations will be monitored by the FBI. And he is prohibited from contact with a list of underworld figures.

Kerik begins four-year prison sentence

Bernard B. Kerik, 54-year-old former commissioner of the New York Police Department, on May 17 began a four-year prison term at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland, according to a story by Sam Dolnick of the New York Times. Kerik (left) pleaded guilty in 2009 to eight felony charges. He was indicted back in November 2007 on charges that he concealed favors he received while employed as a New York City official. Apartment renovations valued at $165,000 were provided to him by a construction company government officials linked with the Gambino Crime Family. Kerik admitted tax fraud, making a false statement on a loan application, and lying to White House officials while being interviewed for the position of Homeland Security Department chief for the George W. Bush Administration.

Kerik's pre-scandal autobiography:
The Lost Son: A Life in Pursuit of Justice

Gangster museum opens in New York

The Museum of the American Gangster, 80 St. Marks Place in New York City, opens its doors this spring. A special pre-opening event is scheduled for noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 7. Admission during the preview period is priced at $10.

The museum, constructed within an East Village structure that once housed a Prohibition Era speakeasy, includes 800 square feet of gallery space. It features artifacts and documents related to organized crime. Lorcan Otway and Eric Ferrara founded the museum with assistance from crime historians and descendants of crime figures.

Hours of operation will be noon to 5 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays.

More information: http://moagnyc.org/

DeLeo case based on cellphone tap

A federal racketeering case against Ralph DeLeo, 66, of Somerville, MA, is based in large part upon a tap of DeLeo's cellphone from January through November of 2009, according to a report by Shelley Murphy of the Boston Globe. In December, DeLeo was indicted for racketeering conspiracy. The indictment names him the "street boss" of New York City's Colombo Crime Family as well as leader of an underworld crew operating in Greater Boston. DeLeo is being held in Arkansas, where he also faces cocaine trafficking charges.

In addition to DeLeo, the indictment also names Franklin M. Goldman, 66, of Randolph, MA; Edmond Kulesza, 56, of Somerville; and George Wiley Thompson, 54, of Cabot, Arkansas, as participants in a plot to distribute marijuana and cocaine, to extort money from victims and to collect loansharking debts.

Prosecutors say DeLeo ran Colombo rackets for most of 2009, reporting to boss Carmine "the Snake" Persico and his son Alphonse "Allie Boy" Persico, both imprisoned.

Massachusetts man charged as NY leader

A 66-year-old Somerville Massachusetts man, Ralph F. DeLeo, was indicted Dec. 17 as the "street boss" of the New York-based Colombo Crime Family.

DeLeo has been charged with commanding an interstate crew engaged in narcotics trafficking, extortion and loan sharking.

Gotti's fourth trial opens

John A. "Junior" Gotti's fourth racketeering trial in the past five years opened today in New York.

New York DA Morgenthau to retire Dec. 31

Robert M. Morgenthau, a fixture as Manhattan's District Attorney since the mid-1970s, has decided not to seek reelection as his term expires later this year, according to a story by Michael Powell, Benjamin Weiser and William K. Rashbaum of the New York Times. The 89-year-old prosecutor will retire, effective Dec. 31.

Morgenthau (right) was raised in a politically active New York family. His father served as treasury secretary for President Franklin Roosevelt. A decorated veteran of World War II, Morgenthau was appointed United States attorney for the Southern District of New York in 1961. He continued in that office until forced to resign by the administration of President Richard Nixon. He won election as Manhattan (New York County) district attorney after the retirement of nine-term prosecutor Frank S. Hogan. Morgenthau is now concluding his ninth term in the office.

"It took me awhile to realize I was getting older," Morgenthau told reporters.

Among those prosecuted by Morgenthau through the past five decades are Lucchese Crime Family boss Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo and Tammany political leader Carmine DeSapio.

Scores arrested in Mafia raids in U.S., Italy

A crackdown on organized crime on both sides of the Atlantic yesterday resulted in more than 80 arrests, according to a report by Julian Gavaghan of the U.K.'s Daily Mail. The FBI made 62 arrests in New York and New Jersey. Twenty more arrests were made in the Sicilian capital city of Palermo. The coordinated raids were part of an operation named, "Old Bridge."

Authorities in both countries claim that the Mafia has been trying to strengthen its trans-Atlantic ties and work on cooperative ventures, including money-laundering and narcotics smuggling.

A report by John Marzulli of the New York Daily News indicated that the New York-based Gambino Crime Family was the focus of the law enforcement action. Authorities say they are charging the family's acting boss John "Jackie Nose" D'Amico (left), underboss Dominic "Italian Dom" Cefalu and consigliere Joseph "JoJo" Corozzo with racketeering offenses, including murder and extortion. Also arrested was alleged family "street boss" Francesco Cali.

Nicholas "Little Nicky" Corozzo, Joseph's brother and alleged member of the organization's ruling committee during John A. Gotti's tenure as acting boss, was charged but remained at large, according to a story by William K. Rashbaum of the New York Times. Gotti relatives Vincent Gotti and Richard G. Gotti also face charges.

Charges are outlined in a 170-page federal indictment filed in New York. According to the indictment, several men linked to the Bonanno and Genovese Crime Families were also charged, as were a number of individuals in the construction industry and connected with locals of the Teamsters and Laborers unions.

"It is simply wrong to suggest that La Cosa Nostra... is no longer a threat to public safety or the economic vitality of New York City," said Mark J. Mershon, director of the FBI's New York office.

Murder accusations are related to the deaths of court officer Albert Gelb in March 1976, Michael Cotillo in November 1977, Salvatore Puma in July 1983, Louis DiBono in October 1990, Jose Delgado Rivera in December 1990, Robert Arena and Thomas Maranga in January 1996.

Gelb, who once arrested Gambino soldier Charles Carneglia, was shot to death four days before he was scheduled to testify against Carneglia. Carneglia is charged with committing five of the seven murders noted in the indictment.

The indictment also charges the defendants with gambling, loansharking, mail fraud, securities fraud, misuse of union funds and other offenses.

See also: Video from Newsday.com

Sicilian mobsters return to power in NYC

Drug-trafficking Sicilian mobsters are returning to positions of influence in the New York City underworld, according to a story by Murray Weiss of the New York Post.

Weiss notes that some of the immigrant gangsters jailed in the Pizza Connection drug case have recently been released. He explains that investigators fear Sicilian bigshots like Rosario, John and Joseph Gambino will reassemble their criminal empires.

The three Gambino brothers are related to the late crime boss Carlo Gambino. Joseph Gambino (right) has been deported back to Sicily.

Battle Jr. sentenced to 15+ years, $642M forfeit

A federal court in Miami has sentenced Jose Miguel Battle Jr. to serve 15 years and eight months in prison and to forfeit $642 million in assets, according to a story in today's Miami Herald.


He was convicted of conspiring with his father and two other men in a racketeering venture known as "The Corporation" or "The Cuba Mafia." Authorities say the group was responsible for illegal gambling, drug trafficking, money laundering and murder in a territory that included New York City, New Jersey and south Florida, according to a Reuters story on Carribean Net News.

Prosecutors say Battle oversaw money-laundering operations in Peru, Spain, Panama, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, the Dominican Republica and the British Virgin Islands, as a participant in an underworld organization that engaged in "violence and intimidation, including the commission of multiple murders," according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

Jose Miguel Battle Sr. (left), an exile from Cuba and a veteran of the Bay of Pigs invasion, was sentenced in January to 20 years in prison.


Related MobNews posts:

• Ailing Cuban mobster gets 20 years 01-15-07
• Ailing Cuban mobster agrees to plea deal 05-04-06

'Chinky' Facchiano, 96, pleads guilty

Ninety-six-year-old Albert "Chinky" Facchiano reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors today and admitted to racketeering conspiracy in Florida and to conspiracy to tamper with a witness in New York, according to an Associated Press report.

Facchiano was charged in Florida along with other reputed members of an aging Genovese Crime Family wing. Prosecutors accused him of participating in rackets involving robberies, money-laundering and bank fraud between 2000 and 2003. He was also indicted last year in New York on charges of trying to locate and intimidate a government witness in 2005.

In declining health, he is likely to receive a sentence of house arrest. Sentencing is scheduled for May 25, according to a story by Jessica Gresko of the AP.

Six other Florida co-defendants, including Genovese capo Renaldi Ruggiero, 73, have pleaded guilty. Ruggiero admitted to his position within the crime family as part of a plea deal. He has not yet been sentenced. The guilty plea excludes Facchiano from an extensive New York case, involving more than 30 alleged members of the Genovese Family.

Facchiano's arrest record dates back to 1932. He was convicted of racketeering in 1979 and served eight years of a 25-year sentence.

Related MobNews posts:

• Ruggiero admits to being Genovese capo 02-02-07
• Facchiano indicted in two states 01-04-07
• Guilty plea from Fla. Genovese associate 12-30-06
• Florida Mafia case based on wiretaps 08-16-06
• Four Floridians held without bail 07-08-06
• Feds break up Florida arm of Genovese family 07-01-06

Feds: Sicilian mobster hid in Florida

Giuseppe Giambrone, 49, will be sent from Florida to New York to answer charges that he made a false statement on an immigration form. Federal officials and Italian authorities believe Gaimbrone is linked with the Vitale Mafia Family in Sicily, according to a report by Pat Gillespie of the Fort Myers News-Press.

Giambrone was captured in South Fort Myers, where authorities believe he has been laying low for the past two years.

As he entered the U.S. in 2002, He reportedly claimed that he had never been convicted of a crime. However, Italian records show he was sentenced to over a year in prison in 1981 for stealing and two years in 1982 for extortion. The Italian government has a warrant for Giambrone's arrest.

Gang violence in NY

Video reports from CBS-TV in New York look at three regional incidents of gang-related violence over the past few days:

• One teen was fatally shot and another stabbed during a fight outside the Yonkers NY Portuguese-American Club. Police have made one arrest. They still seek the shooter.
• Two 18-year-old men were shot to death in Newark NJ in daylight hours. One of the men (right) was said to be looking to end his affiliation with a local gang.
• A 17-year-old high school student was stabbed by a butcher's knife during a gang brawl on a subway car. He is expected to survive the injury. Though two police officers were nearby at the time of the fight, the suspects managed to get away on foot.