Former mob boss tells standing-room-only crowd that he gave it all up 'for love'
by Whitney Gray, posted April 9, 2008
For most of us, our only contact with the mafia is through films such as the Godfather trilogy, Goodfellas, The Untouchables or The Departed. Now hundreds of MU students can say they have first-hand knowledge of life in the mob.
Michael Franzese, former Captain in the Colombo crime family, one of the five crime families of New York, visited MU on April 2 and spoke to a standing-room-only crowd.
Though the presentation started at 7 p.m., people were arriving as early as 6 p.m. When it was time for the show to begin, Conservation Auditorium was filled from front to back leaving unfortunate late-comers leaning on the wall.
A table in the lobby held stacks of Franzese’s book, but the former mafia member stressed that he was not there to promote his book and didn’t want the audience to feel obligated to buy.
Robert Michaels, Franzese’s business manager, was the first to speak. Michaels, an ex-cop from Norfolk, Va., opened the show joking about the irony of his situation.
“I would have never thought in a million years that after retiring from the force, I’d be traveling the country with a mob guy,” said Michaels.
When Franzese first spoke, the audience immediately heard his native Brooklyn accent, taking them all back to every mafia movie or Soprano episode seen. Franzese was modest, grateful and sincere.
While not proud of his decision to join the mob, he said, “I still have respect for those guys.”
In 1967, Franzese’s father, John “Sonny” Franzese, Colombo crime family underboss, was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Michael Franzese dropped out of medical school and went to his father, telling him that he was done with school. While his father didn’t want him to live the mob life, he knew his son’s mind was made up.
“If you’re going to be in the streets, you’re going to do it right,” Franzese quoted his father’s words.
For a year, Franzese went through what he called a “pledge period.” On Oct. 31, 1975, Franzese became a “made man,” and from then on, he became an infamous face in the media.
According to Fortune magazine’s “The Fifty Biggest Mafia Bosses” issue, Franzese was not only the youngest on the list, but also “one of the biggest money earners the mob had seen since Al Capone.”
In fact, he was pulling in $6 million to $8 million dollars a week with a multi-billion dollar gasoline scheme.
Franzese described his life of money, infamy, jets, and inconceivable power. However, he added, “I am in no way trying to glamorize that lifestyle.”
Then he revealed what made him walk away from it all at age 24 — his future wife Camille Garcia, who was later dubbed by Cosmopolitan magazine as “the face of the woman that changed organized crime in America.” Franzese described her as a “Christian girl, true to her faith” who knew nothing of Franzese’s life in the mob.
“My life was a contradiction to what she believes in, she’s not going to be able to handle this, and all of a sudden I’m figurin’ out how to get out of the life,” he said to explain his reason for leaving his life of crime behind.
He said it was for love.
Franzese made the decision to plead guilty for racketeering charges in order to get out of the mob. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Franzese briefly touched on how he got through eight years in prison with a contract out on his life but didn’t go into detail, as he didn’t want to give away the story he tells in his book, Blood Covenant.
After being released from prison, the FBI asked Franzese to use his life experiences to discourage athletes from gambling. Since then, he has visited 350 universities and has spoken to national sports teams as well as NCAA teams, including a brief visit with MU athletes earlier that day.
“I don’t say this just to blow smoke or make myself a good guy,” he stated. “I happen to care a lot about young people, I really do. I don’t like to see young people gettin’ themselves in trouble.”
Franzese said that during his eight years in prison, he saw many young men brought in with 15- to 20-year sentences without parole. This devastated him. He now hopes the lectures he gives will keep as many young people as possible out of the system and away from a life of crime and gang association.
“You never know where your life will take you,” he said. “I am a person of faith, and I believe God has a plan for me, and here I am today.”
Bringing the show to a close, he spoke of his desire to help young people and athletes stay away from all types of addictions or problems that might lead them to a grim future.
He invited audience members to e-mail him at michael@michaelfranzese.com if they felt he could help with any problems. Franzese said he answers all e-mails personally and keeps the information confidential.
The audience, including students and adults of many ages, stood and applauded. “This was definitely worth coming to,” one MU student replied. “I feel sorry for whoever missed this.”
The night ended with Q&A from the audience.
“You can ask me anything you want,” Franzese said. “I’ve been asked everything under the sun; you’re not going to offend me. And if I don’t want to answer, I know how to take the fifth. I’ve done that many times in my life.”
Later a long line of audience members purchased books and had them signed by Franzese.
For more information about Michael Franzese, his books, or upcoming events, visit his Web site: http://www.michaelfranzese.com.
