A former No. 2 in the Colombo crime family who served 50 years in prison for refusing to rat on his partners is speaking out on Wednesday - nearly two years after he was released from federal prison at the age of 100.
John ‘Sonny’ Franzese, 102, said in an interview published on Wednesday that the federal government tried to convince him to testify against his friends in exchange for a reduced sentence.
‘They wanted me to roll all the time,’ Franzese told Newsday.
‘I couldn’t do that. Because it’s my principle.
‘I could never give a guy up because I knew what jail was. I wouldn’t put a dog in a jail pod.’
John ‘Sonny’ Franzese, 102, said in an interview published on Wednesday that the federal government tried to convince him to testify against his friends in exchange for a reduced sentence. He is seen left in 2010
Franzese, a reputed underboss for the Colombo crime family based in New York City, was 100 years old, the oldest prisoner in the federal penal system, when he was released in June 2017. He is seen above in a wheelchair in June 2010
Franzese, a reputed underboss for the Colombo crime family based in New York City, was 100 years old, the oldest prisoner in the federal penal system, when he was released in June 2017.
Franzese left the Federal Medical Center in Devens, Massachusetts, in a wheelchair after he finished serving a 50-year sentence for bank robbery.
Franzese was accused of being involved in loan sharking and extortion.
The U.S. Bureau of Prisons confirms he was the oldest prisoner until his release. He was paroled at least six times since his 1967 conviction, but each time ended back in prison.
In his first public comments since his release, Franzese said that ‘no one in history’ had done as much as he did by keeping his mouth shut.
‘Jesus suffered,’ he said. ‘He didn’t squeal on nobody.’
John Gotti, the notorious boss of the Gambino crime family, once remarked that Franzese was ‘one tough f*****g guy’ for his refusal to testify against his friends.
John Gotti, the notorious boss of the Gambino crime family, once remarked that Franzese was ‘one tough f*****g guy’ for his refusal to testify against his friends. Franzese is seen above in 1967
Franzese’s unwillingness to cooperate with the feds did not extend to two of his sons.
It was John Franzese Jr who testified against his father in a Brooklyn courtroom in 2010.
John Jr legally changed his name to Mat Pazzarelli after going into the witness protection program - a result of him ratting out his dad.
The son’s testimony resulted in his father returning to prison at the age of 93, according to the Indianapolis Star.
This was after John Jr wore a wire for nine months and gathered 400 hours of tape as part of the government’s efforts to nail his father.
‘I killed a lot of guys,’ John Sr was once heard saying on tape.
‘You’re not talking about four, five, six, 10.’
The testimony of John Sr’s son led to his return to prison, this time a seven-year sentence for racketeering.
Prosecutors alleged that Sonny extorted strip clubs in New York City, including those run by Hustler and Penthouse.
Franzese's life of crime began in 1938, while he was still a teenager, with an assault arrest. Prosecutors say he was kicked out of the Army four years later after displaying 'homicidal tendencies'. He is seen above at a New York police station in 1966
Court records indicated that Sonny ordered a contract on his son.
When asked about his son, Sonny told Newsday on Wednesday: ‘I don’t know what happened to him.
‘Maybe all the drugs he took. Screwed his mind up.
‘Listen, it broke my heart. He would be the last guy I thought would do that. But he did it.’
John Jr, 58, is a recovering crack addict who is HIV-positive. He currently lives in Indianapolis.
Sonny Franzese was once a regular at the Copacabana nightclub, where he could be seen with singers Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.
He also had a stake in the classic porn film Deep Throat.
When asked about his celebrity connections, Franzese said: ‘I knew them all.’
When asked if he knew Sinatra, Franzese replied: ‘You asked the question the wrong way. You should have asked, “Did Frank Sinatra know Sonny Franzese?”’
Franzese insists to this day that he is innocent of the bank robberies of which he was convicted.
‘Never happened,’ Franzese said.
‘It ain’t right for something I’d never done. I’d have to be a nut to rob banks.’
He claims that his conviction was the result of J. Edgar Hoover’s crusade against mobsters when he was head of the FBI.
Franzese says that despite spending most of his life in prison, he has no regrets.
'I never hurt nobody that was innocent,' he said.
Franzese's life of crime began in 1938, while he was still a teenager, with an assault arrest.
Prosecutors say he was kicked out of the Army four years later after displaying 'homicidal tendencies'.
In 1947, court papers say, he raped a waitress in a garage.
Sonny Franzese was once a regular at the Copacabana nightclub, where he could be seen with singers Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.
In 1966, he beat a murder charge accusing him of killing a rival and dumping the body - cement blocks chained to the feet - into a bay.
Franzese was convicted in 1967 in a bank robbery, sent to prison and paroled in the late 1970s.
Though never convicted of another crime, authorities say he rose to second in command of the Colombos, one of New York's five Italian crime families.
Prosecutors say one reason Franzese dodged arrest in other murders is that he became good at making bodies disappear.
Investigators caught him on tape in 2006 describing his favorite recipe for that: Dismember victim in kiddie pool. Cook body parts in microwave. Stuff parts in garbage disposal. Be patient.
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2019/03/28/john-sonny-franzese-the-former-colombo-crime-family-no-2-speaks-for-first-time-since-release/
Main photo article A former No. 2 in the Colombo crime family who served 50 years in prison for refusing to rat on his partners is speaking out on Wednesday – nearly two years after he was released from federal prison at the age of 100.
John ‘Sonny’ Franzese, 102, said in an interview published on Wednesday t...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/03/28/06/11553624-6859003-image-a-28_1553752838907.jpg
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