14 DAY TRIAL // John “Sonny” Franzese, an elderly man who is presumed to be a Mafia boss, is going to prison for eight years, after his appeal was thrown out.
95-year-old Franzese has been charged and convicted of extortion, for demanding money from owners of clubs in Manhattan and one pizza restaurant in Long Island.
The crimes for which he was tried took place during his rule as underboss of mafia group “The Colombian Crime Family.”
In 2008, he was arrested and released on $1 million bail. He was then tried and sentenced on January 14, 2011. His projected release date is June 25, 2017.
The second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to uphold the decision of sending the aging mobster to jail, I Digital Times tells us.
The New York City-based Colombian Crime family was once one of the five families that ruled the town, according to Wikipedia. The website also lists him as an acting underboss, since 2004.
Franzese once boasted that he killed over 60 people in his lifetime, and got away with it. He admitted to the killings to an FBI officer, who testified in his trial.
He was known for microwaving his victims' body parts and grinding them, leaving no physical evidence behind.
Franzese's son, Michael “Yuppie Don,” retired from a life of crime in the '90s. A high-ranked mob officer, he pleaded guilty to racketeering charges and went to prison for 10 years.
He now describes himself as “a man on a mission” on his website, holding sessions in which he speaks about his life and writing 2 books.
The first one, titled “Blood Covenant,” is an autobiography in which he gives details about his legacy as a crime boss's son. In his second one, “I’ll Make You An Offer You Can’t Refuse,” he provides business tips.