Patrons and performers were solicitously attended to by a fleet of uniformed employees, all overseen by the vigilant eye of manager Jules Podell. A few years later, during World War II, he was discharged from the Army due to his homicidal tendencies.. stars He hated prisonbut set his mind to making the most of it. Customers came to see the glittering roster of performers onstage, but were just as thrilled when they spotted celebrities, and mobsters, in the audience. He was 103 years old. 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Cassato had come to the parish in 1985 and by all accounts was a major force in reviving the neighborhood before he was transferred to another part of Brooklyn in 2001. All the top entertainers in the country, in the world, they all wanted to work there, Sonny said. [5], Franzese operated out of New York City and New Jersey and was involved in racketeering, fraud, and loansharking. By 1935, when he was 18, he said, he was running the largest craps game in New York. But then, in 1967, he was convicted for his involvement in a bank robbery and sentenced to 50 years in prison. Johnny got up, but couldnt help but protest: Sonny, youre too much. The guy is telling incredible lies. In 2010, the jury convicted him of extorting money from two Manhattan strip clubs and running a loansharking operation. I started a used car business. Sonny was born circa 1919. Adapted from SONNY: The Last of the Old-Time Mafia Bosses, John Sonny Franzese, by S. J. Peddie. And hes likely to die behind bars.. 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. Michael Franzese Interview - GangsterBB.NET One F.B.I. Franzese said his superior officers liked his quick intelligence and fighting spiritbut that his gambling and liaison with a majors wife probably were what got him into trouble. He thought it was a joke. As for how many people John Franzese killed and disposed of this way, that remains uncertain. Theres no money in crime no more, he said. His Lips Are Sealed: the Death of Sonny Franzese, New York'S Last Old Net Worth in 2022. At 100 years old, mobster John (Sonny) Franzese the oldest inmate in the federal prison system was released Friday from a Massachusetts . As a caporegime, Michael was making $5-10m weekly from a petrol bootlegging scheme, involving the Russian Mafia.Watch my interview on Michael Franzese's channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6hqYXMeeZU\u0026t=64sSupport us on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/shaunattwoodShaun Attwood merch: https://shaunattwood.shop/collections/allShaun Attwood's social media:TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shaunattwood1?Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaunattwood/?hl=enTwitter: https://twitter.com/shaunattwoodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/shaunattwood1/Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/shaunattwoodOdysee: https://odysee.com/@ShaunAttwood:aJen's website: https://www.organiccottonclothing.co.uk/Jen's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/boomer_jen/Jen's Twitter: https://twitter.com/boomerandjenLtdJen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ7utxeVCXBkhDXms36xLfgJen's clothing company on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/boomerandjen_organic_clothing/Jen on FB: https://www.facebook.com/BoomerJen-106167247767169/Andrew Gold's links: YouTube: http://youtube.com/andrewgold1 On the Edge with Andrew Gold Podcast - https://podfollow.com/on-the-edge-with-andrew-gold Twitter: twitter.com/andrewgold_ok Dr DAS' CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/c/APsychForSoreMinds Dr DAS\" social media: TWITTER - https://twitter.com/PsychSore FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/psychsore INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/psychforsoremindsWatch our true crime podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPT_cCpNMvT50d_7cJ55ciKoZEY8q_YPtWatch all of our Wild Man videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPT_cCpNMvT5SlYuhHm-kLYekc8FIAWvzWatch UK Wild Woman, Sammy the Bull Gravano, Arizona, Mexico: Kerry Osborne: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5CKU-Qg0tM\u0026list=PLPT_cCpNMvT50d_7cJ55ciKoZEY8q_YPt\u0026index=3Watch our Royal Family videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPT_cCpNMvT7FSrvAJL-44G2_WQTeU5d5 Watch John Abbott's California San Quentin prison stories: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPT_cCpNMvT4opC39yEqNU3fmPBQUHsv3UK gangsters playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPT_cCpNMvT55XryzNClntlWEHGqDs-HZWatch our full interview with a Mafia hit man for the Gambino crime family: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_o3tTOekqY\u0026list=PLPT_cCpNMvT50d_7cJ55ciKoZEY8q_YPt\u0026index=6\u0026t=9075sWatch smuggling stories with David McMillan: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPT_cCpNMvT6P4orHr3HqE2Dpw5aPyv_OOur donation links: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/shaunattwoodPayPal: https://www.paypal.me/SAttwoodJustGiving: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/shaun-attwood-1SubscribeStar: https://www.subscribestar.com/true-crime-podcastMerch:Books: https://shaunattwood.com/shaun/books/Wild Man T-shirts: https://everpress.com/wildmanShaun's Website: http://shaunattwood.com/ Shaun's Blog: http://jonsjailjournal.blogspot.co.uk/ #truecrime #mafia #thegodfather #franzese #gravano #sammythebull #podcast He said he likes to keep his wits about him and remember things.. From then on, Franzese wasnt charged with another crime again until 2008, when he was arrested along with eight other Colombo mobsters. Doubt she wastes her time with someone like Sonny at that point. Maybe all the drugs he took. Screwed his mind up.. That didnt mean that he wouldnt try to move in on Sinatras girlfriend. Maurice also recounted a story from the 1960s, before Franzese was sent to prison. By 1967, Franzese had gone into the music business, running Buddah Records and such groups as the Shirelles. He was back at Mount Carmel on Friday for the funeral. Sonny met actress Marilyn Monroe, not at the Copa, but at the Stork Club, thanks to an introduction by Frank Costello. To avoid having a scandal surrounding having a child out of wedlock, Capobianco married Frank Grillo. 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. Full head of hair - stand up guy. Life in the early '60s was good for Franzese. Franzese returned to the courtroom, where the jury made clear its view that he was guilty. The renowned tough guy did his prison time without ever turning on his mob associates following a 1967 conviction that was widely considered both inside and outside organized crime as a setup. Football ", "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. Calling himself a die-hard American, he said, I was a good soldier.. He had been the oldest inmate in the federal prison system, but now he was free and on his way to spend time at his daughters home in Brooklyn. If Franzese had a weakness, it was for his immediate family. People would come there to see me, too, Sonny said. Following that arrest, plenty of macabre and lurid stories came to light. But just like everyone else, he couldnt beat death. [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. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. diets Al moved to Chicago in the 1920s then Alcatraz after in the early 30s. John Franzese Jr. testified against his dad, Sonny - Newsday He also said at work not to trust anyone, she recalled. John "Sonny" Franzese reportedly committed his first murder at the age of fourteen. He used to come back to me and talk loud, so I could hear him. What does that mean? he said with dramatic flourish. IN THE GALAXY of New York City nightclubs, the Copacabana burned brightest. He could be heard saying on one tape that he had committed numerous murders, but he was acquitted the only time he was ever charged with homicide. government Queens, New York. $1 Million - $5 Million. You had to remember it without writing anything down.. She reported his essential advice for all his grandchildren. Sonny Franzese romantic affair with Marilyn Monroe? # - YouTube So did FBI agents. Russia Later, he would become convinced that his affair with Monroewho was rumored to have been involved with Kennedys brother, U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, toowas what brought the wrath of the U.S. government down on him. Sonny Franzese (left) with famous boxer Rocky Graziano (center). It was so much part of who I am as a man, good or bad. What do you expect a guy to turn out to be? Sonny told them. More posturing followed, and Jayne tried to gentle Sonny, telling him not to get too excited. [34] Due to this, Michael had initially believed that he had been adopted by John after the disappearance of Grillo, who Michael thought to be his biological father. [4][5][6] Court papers accused him of committing rape against a waitress in 1947, but he was never arrested in relation to the crime. In 2006, a fellow gangster secretly wearing a wire as an F.B.I. Over the course of the ensuing decades, Franzese cemented his reputation as one of New Yorks flashiest mobsters. [10] Franzese's nephew, Salvatore Franzese, reportedly headed Franzese's gambling operations while Franzese was in prison. My father was a chameleon, Michael said. His wife made clear her displeasure with him over the crooked path their son had taken before becoming an informant. Asked about the prosecutors and judge who sent him to prison, who have all died, Franzese said, Ill meet them in hell.. All rights reserved. But he deflected questions about his mob family, how he ran the rackets, or prominent mob bosses such as Frank Costello and Joseph Bonanno. I dont know., I said, After the show, come down here. She says, All right, Ill be down.. Nevertheless, murder wasnt the case that authorities were able to use to bring Franzese down. 102-year-old mobster: 'I never hurt nobody that was innocent' In 1944, he was dishonorably discharged from the Army for homicidal tendencies," according to court records. He was 103 years old. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Abroad [28], Michael Franzese had entered a pre-med program at Hofstra University in 1969, as John Franzese originally did not want him to be involved in organized crime. From breaking news to special features and documentaries, the NewsdayTV team is covering the issues that matter to you. He served as underboss of the Colombo family from 1963 until he was sentenced to 50 years in prison for orchestrating a string of bank robberies across the country in 1967. 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. News. Once again, John Franzese had beaten the system. He was beginning to address the mourners when a glass collar at the top of a burning Paschal candle suddenly shattered. It has been documented that Monroe was at Sinatras lodge two weekends before her death, but now it appears that she was called back for a one-to-one chat with Giancana, a friend of Sinatra. 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. They hit on me like I was Rudolph Valentino. When I was away, I would run five miles a day, every day, he said. Sonny was tough as nails. If true, they would rewrite the final act in the actresss life and raise fresh questions about her death. And he apologized for what happened, especially near his church.. He recounted a time when he was starting out in music and grew weary of playing classical works. [4] He became a made man in 1950,[4] and served in the crew of Sebastian "Buster" Aloi, father of former Colombo family acting boss Vincenzo Aloi. Franzese, who died on Feb. 23 at age 103, recalled those nights recently as part of a series of interviews with Newsday over the past two years. He thought every girl was, was in love with him. John Sonny Franzese is escorted by police in 1967. COVID-19 He and Sonny, though, had an uneasy relationship, as each jousted to assert dominance. He became a boccie player and a handball champion. Maybe all the drugs he took. was arrested along with eight other Colombo mobsters, John Gotti facts that tell the story of The Dapper Don.. By 1966, Franzeses swagger and success had become too much for law enforcement. Lo and behold, he went away to school again!. Both had . After the 93-year-old Sonny Franzese was convicted, he was sentenced to eight years in prison, where he was widely expected to die of old age. So I got very close to him. [10] After he was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1986, Michael was ultimately released in 1994 and retired to California in 1995. How the Bounty Mutineers Found Their New Home on a Secret Pacific Island, Jeffery Deaver's Guide to Writing Page-Turning Fiction, Seven Crime Novels Centered Around Musicians Out in 2023, An Author's Guide to Stealing from the Books You Love, The Many Levels of Mystery: Whodunnit? to Whydunnit? and Beyond, The Literary Film and TV You Need to Stream in March, Tracey Rose Peyton: Exploring Six Stories of Motherhood for Enslaved Women, The Day Explorers Finally Found One of the Worlds Great Lost Shipwrecks, What If? That had been before Cassatos time. She had a miniskirt on. He didnt deny himself. Facts are facts his time is nearly up. Legendary Colombo crime family mobster John Sonny Franzese, who hung out with Frank Sinatra and befriended Marilyn Monroe before a bank robbery conviction eventually made him the nations oldest federal inmate, has died at a New York City hospital. John 'Sonny' Franzese, powerful mob boss who hung out with Frank Asked if he knew Frank Sinatra, Franzese replied:You asked the question the wrong way. He worries about his grandchildren, exhorting them to get an education, and says he has told many younger relatives to go straight, for practical reasons, at least. So I ran away. RARE Sonny Franzese Story w/ Marilyn Monroe: Michel Franzese - YouTube She was hard as a rock.. "Marilyn was gorgeous, forget about it." The mutual attraction proved irresistible, and their relationship led to an encounter that that left Sonny deeply ashamed. This man was a hardened criminal who needed to pay, regardless of his age. United States of America 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. Tennis [32] He also helped to finance the $22,000 budget of the 1972 pornographic film Deep Throat, which generated $3050 million, and the 1974 slasher film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which earned over $30 million from a $80,000140,000 investment. [7][4] He was also a boxing fan of Rocky Graziano. Cassatos words of forgiveness had added significance because he is also a highly regarded NYPD chaplain. And in December, the Nassau district attorney accused him of engineering the home invasion of an Oceanside jukebox executive in which two teenagers were handcuffed to a pole in the basement and gagged with duct tape. Her boyfriend was not far away on stage, but Sonny was not at all concerned. [17], In 2006, Franzese discussed techniques for mob murders with Gaetano "Guy" Fatato, a Colombo associate, not realizing that Fatato was a government informant and taping the conversation. It was because of the Kennedys. Its crazy that sonny franzese lived such a stressful life and looked so On Writing Outside (Or Inside) The Lines. In April, the U.S. Attorneys Office charged him with conspiring to rob banks and obstruction of justice. Got a tip? According to his son Michael, he passed away in a hospital in the New York area, but no further details were given. Two of them delivered eulogies at Fridays funeral, making it grander by another measure than the mob boss sendoffs of old. Indonesia /r/Mafia features stories, interviews, documentary and news articles about organized crime around the world. Lidia Yuknavitch on Her Philosophy of Teaching, What Should You Read Next? In the two-page letter, which was written in the early 1960s, Jean . The home of John (Sonny) Franzese on Shrub Hollow Road in Roslyn in 1970. Credit: Newsday / Bill Senft, I started buying businesses, you know, he said. That was my parish, Franzese said. Copyright 2023 Newsday. The Mafia Secretly Taped Marilyn Monroe to Blackmail the Kennedy Brothers. It also probably was inevitable. John 'Sonny' Franzese, legendary New York mobster, dead at 103 I wasnt a guy that was afraid, you know, he said. Franzese went on to say that he had been told of the great good Cassato had done. John "Sonny" Franzese - A Colombo Family Legend To Sonny, that was tantamount to throwing down the gauntlet. But one of the actual bank robbers took the stand to say Franzese had overseen the heists. ; Parole Violations Are Cited", "Nine Are Arrested in Sweeping Organized Crime Crackdown", Colombo organized crime family acting boss, underboss, and ten other members and associates indicted", "John Franzese Jr. testified against his dad, Sonny and then quit Witness Protection", "Feds: Sonny Asked a Mob Pal to Help Whack His Turncaot Son", "Colombo underboss John (Sonny) Franzese's son admits he sold his dad out for $50,000", "Colombo underboss John (Sonny) Franzese betrayed by son, who'll testify against legendary mobster", "93-Year-Old Crime Boss Gets 12-Year Sentence", "Mobster Sonny Franzese gets 8 years in prison", "Colombo mobster John Franzese, 99, denied compassionate release", "98-year-old inmate's prison funds targeted by feds", "Mafia boss, 93, faces prison after son breaks code of silence", "Penn State Forum Speaker Series Michael Franzese "Life Choices, Life Stories", "Special Report: Michael Franzese talks about quitting the mob", Hundred-year-old mobster's daughter gushes over dad's freedom, "John 'Sonny' Franzese, powerful mob boss who hung out with Frank Sinatra, dies at 103", "Priest at Sonny Franzese's funeral Mass: 'He just kept on going', American Gangster: The Sonny Franzese Story, List of Italian-American mobsters by organization, Collaborations between the United States government and Italian Mafia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonny_Franzese&oldid=1142670143, Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government, United States Army personnel of World War II, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox person with multiple parents, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Cristina Capobianco-Franzese (second wife), This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 19:20. The cassette tapes were found by his nephew, Jeff Platts, and have now been made public. After being sentenced for a period of 50 years, Franzese offered only this premonitory remark: I bet I do everyone.. Both the grandson and the granddaughter recalled Sonny Grandpa saying that you have to listen to gospel music. The granddaughter had arranged for a gospel group headed by a singer/piano player known on Instagram as The Black Franz Liszt to perform at the funeral. In 2017, at the age of 100, the underboss of the Colombo crime family was released early from a prison sentence that would have capped off his turbulent life of crime. 68.4k members in the Mafia community. Franzese returned to his family in Brooklyn after his release in 2017 from the Federal Medical Center in Danvers, Mass., leading a quiet life far from the spotlight of his youth. His father, Carmine (The Lion) Franzese, had considerable prestige in the Mafia, according to Treasury Department records. The conversations became the foundation of a deep. We had Joe Valachi, and if you would have opened up, it would have destroyed the Mafia. It's better to take that half-an-hour, an hour, to get rid of the body than it is to leave the body on the street. Now 102 years old, John (Sonny) Franzese, the longtime underboss of the Colombo crime family, is the epitome of the old-style crime chieftain. Jon Bernthal as Sonny Franzese? : Mafia - Reddit.com Podell insisted that employees and customers alike adhere to a strict dress code. When Sinatra was dating actress Ava Gardner, she would come to the Copa to watch him perform. [4] His mother had given him the nickname "Sonny" at a young age. His violent inclinations didnt cease there. In 1963, Joe Valachi became the first big Mafia informant, testifying before Congress and giving America its first look inside the mob. [24] He is the first son of a New York mobster to turn state's evidence and testify against his father. [37], His younger son, John Franzese Jr., was a Colombo family associate before becoming an FBI informant. I couldnt get a [liquor] license., Asked why he couldnt get a license, he said, smiling, I was a bad guy.. As Newsdays Bob Greene reported in December 1965 when Franzese and his family were living in Roslyn:For Franzese, the world is his apple. Tops Lets bring her back again so I can have a shot at it. . He is from Italy. That initially struck her as a very lonely way to proceed. I figured hes a skinny guy, theyd kill him. He was 103. He was released on parole in 1978 (why exactly he was released so early remains unclear). He told the mourners during his homily of a moment after his transfer. International I could never give a guy up because I knew what jail was, he said. Netflix's controversial Marilyn Monroe drama (now streaming) stars Ana de Armas as the tragic Hollywood starlet, who died of an overdose in 1962 at 36. And everybody wanted to get glory, said Ed McDonald, former chief of the federal Organized Crime Strike Force in Brooklyn. Jeffrey Basinger/Newsday via Getty ImagesJohn Franzese as a free man in 2018. economy Early on, Franzese had an aptitude for crime. While participating in a slew of criminal activities including racketeering, loansharking, and murder, he lived a glamorous lifestyle. Dont forget, I fought everybody.. I watched the interview. Dionne Warwick? "Serious loss at any age," said his son Michael. Frank Sinatra, even more than other entertainers, was comfortable around mobsters. You know, Ive been away at college for a couple of years, Franzese said. Younger men are springing up on all sides, including Joey Gallo, Sonny Franzese, etc. eurobasket That I promise.. In addition to his interests in the entertainment industry, John Franzese also became notorious for his racketeering, fraud, and loansharking schemes. The bottom line, he said: I never hurt nobody that was innocent.. Cassato turned solemn without being somber at the end of the funeral, saying that Franzese now rested in Gods love and grace. His son Michael, who initially followed his father into the mob, eventually left organized crime and became a born-again Christian and motivational speaker. [34][35] Franzese had four more children with Capobianco, who died in 2012. He would be the last guy I thought would do that. We have estimated Sonny Franzese's net worth , money, salary, income, and assets. However, this certainly doesnt mean the end of the Colombo crime family. . Gorgeous and glamorous women were inevitably drawn to Sonny, something he said he never fully understood. In college you couldnt bring a phone book with you, Maurice noted, saying Franzese could remember a thousand different phone numbers., He would rattle off these phone numbers, rattle off these names, tell you what to do, Maurice recalled. Though its unclear exactly how John Franzese died, it is clear that his death closes yet another chapter in the ongoing history of gangs in New York. At the trial, John Franzese Jr. told jurors not to be fooled by his elderly fathers frail appearance (he was dubbed the Nodfather by the press due to his habit of dozing during the trial). He beat a life sentence. He is convinced hell get rid of the wheelchair. /r/Mafia features stories, interviews, documentary and news articles about organized crime around the world. He worked in the record business and grossed part of the mafias alleged investment in the classic porn movie Deep Throat reportedly securing a piece of his alleged $ 600 million gross. One of 16 children only 10 survived to adulthood he was the youngest son. Sonny franzese and marilyn monroe On June 23, 2017, he was released, having spent a total of 35 years behind bars. In 1963, Genovese gangster Joseph Valachi appeared before a televised and explosive U.S. Senate hearing on organized crime, revealing for the first time the secrets of La Cosa Nostra. I really think the FBI did it, he says. advertising In 1967, Franzese was arrested for a series of bank robberies. How does he know this?. Gangsters added to the noirish glamour of the club, and Sonny exuded the kind of power that people immediately recognized. [4] Franzese used Buddah to launder illegal mob earnings and to bribe disc jockeys with payola. In an interview, John said he had become sober in 2001 after battling a yearslong drug addiction. Linked by law enforcement to multimillion-dollar bookmaking, loan sharking and extortion rackets and caught on tape alluding to multiple murders he claimed to have committed, he remained mute through more than 35 years behind bars as mob boss after mob boss violated the mobscode of silence in exchange for lighter prison sentences. John Sonny Franzese, who was one of the deadliest, richest, and longest-living Mafia bosses, died on February 25, 2019. A cause of death has not been announced. Franzese was a well-dressed regular at the Copacabana nightclub, where he spent lavishly and hung around with the likes of Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra. Death and. When Kennedys Learned of Marilyn Monroe & Sonny Franzese's Relationship: Michael Franzese 5,011 views Jun 27, 2022 Watch full Franzese podcast:. If the club was filled, he would go to the back door and tell workers to set a table on the stage; and they did. According to his son Michael, he passed away in a hospital in the New York area, but no further details were given. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. In 2017, he was freed from prison, the . Afterward, John Franzese joined the Colombo crime family under boss Joseph Profaci. Later a coroner ruled that the death was a probable suicide. Sonny met actress Marilyn Monroe, not at the Copa, but at the Stork Club, thanks to an introduction by Frank Costello. Ukraine The elder Franzese clearly did more than just cash in on the Shirelles. Following Monroes death a host of conspiracy theories emerged, but on the tapes Masters is clear about the reason why she died. Credit: Newsday / Marvin Sussman. For one, investigators said that Franzese had largely been able to avoid murder charges because of his knack for making bodies disappear. You thought I was the star sometimes., The Copacabana was a launching pad for careers, from Sammy Davis Jr. to Wayne Newton to June Allyson, who got her start on the Copa dance line. He repeatedly refused.
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