The Definitive Guide to the Mob (History Specials)

THE MOB IS NOT A BUSINESS. IT'S A WAY OF LIFE.

YOU COME INTO THAT LIFE, THEY TELL YOU STRAIGHT-OUT --

YOU EITHER LEAVE IN A BOX, OR YOU DON'T LEAVE AT ALL.

I SAW MORE GUYS LEAVE AT AN EARLY AGE...

...THAN DIED OF OLD AGE.

WE KNOW THAT IF WE MAKE A MISTAKE...

...THE GUY NEXT TO US,

WHO'S BEEN OUR BEST FRIEND FOR 20 YEARS,

CAN BE CALLED UPON TO TAKE US OUT.

DO YOU GET NUMB TO IT? NO.

YOU NEVER GET NUMB. AT LEAST I DIDN'T.

Narrator: NO ONE CAN TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THE AMERICAN MAFIA

THAN MICHAEL FRANZESE...

BECAUSE HE TRULY LIVED IT.

FROM THE STREETS TO A MANSION TO A PRISON CELL,

HE KNOWS HOW IT WORKS

AND WHY IT WORKED SO WELL FOR SO LONG.

MICHAEL WAS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST MONEYMAKER EVER.

I THINK HIS ENTIRE CAREER'S AMAZING.

Narrator: IN THIS DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE MOB,

MICHAEL FRANZESE EXPLAINS HOW TO GET IN,

HOW TO GET MADE, AND HOW TO MAKE BIG MONEY.

Franzese: I SAID, "JUNIOR, I'M GONNA SHOW YOU MORE MONEY

THAN YOU EVER SAW IN YOUR LIFE."

I'M BRINGING HIM $2 MILLION A WEEK.

Narrator: HE'S THE ONLY MADE MAN TO EVER PUBLICLY QUIT

AMERICA'S MOST NOTORIOUS CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION,

AND HE HAS SOMEHOW LIVED TO TELL ABOUT IT.

Chertoff: THE TRUTH IS, IF YOU LEAVE THE MOB,

THERE IS A VERY HIGH LIKELIHOOD YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE.

I'M SHOCKED THAT MICHAEL FRANZESE

STILL WALKS THE STREETS.

Narrator: MICHAEL LEARNED EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW

ABOUT THE MOB, PLUS ONE THING

THAT SO MANY GANGSTERS NEVER LEARN...

...HOW TO STAY ALIVE.

Franzese: WHO AM I?

MY NAME IS MICHAEL FRANZESE,

AND WHEN IT COMES TO THIS LIFE --

LA COSA NOSTRA, MAFIA -- IN THIS COUNTRY,

I KNOW AS MUCH OR MORE ABOUT THIS LIFE

THAN ANYBODY THAT EVER LIVED IT.

WHY? 'CAUSE I LIVED IT.

I WAS A MADE MEMBER OF THE COLOMBO FAMILY.

I MADE AS MUCH OR MORE MONEY FOR THAT LIFE

THAN ANYBODY SINCE AL CAPONE.

MICHAEL FRANZESE.

AND I CAN TELL YOU ABOUT EVERY FACET

OF THAT LIFE THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.

AND I'M NOT TELLING YOU FROM BEHIND A CURTAIN.

HEY, FELLAS. LET'S GO.

I DON'T HAVE ANY AX TO GRIND.

I'M TELLING YOU BECAUSE I LIVED IT,

AND THIS WAS MY LIFE.

Narrator: MICHAEL'S INTRODUCTION TO THE MOB BEGAN

WITH HIS FATHER, "SONNY" FRANZESE,

A FEARED GANGSTER AND UNDERBOSS FOR THE COLOMBO CRIME FAMILY.

MY DAD WAS MY IDOL. I LOVED HIM.

GREAT FATHER. GREAT HUSBAND TO MY MOM.

SONNY IS A LEGEND IN HIS OWN TIME, OKAY?

EVERYBODY LOOKED UP TO HIM.

BUT I DID SEE THE OTHER SIDE OF HIM A COUPLE OF TIMES.

I SEEN PEOPLE SHUDDER AT THE NAME OF SONNY FRANZESE.

THEY DIDN'T WANT TO MESS WITH HIM.

FOR INSTANCE, I'D BE PLAYING BASEBALL,

AND HE WOULD WALK ON THE FIELD.

EVERYBODY'S LOOKING AT HIM.

AND, YOU KNOW, ONCE OR TWICE I NOTICED I'M UP THERE,

AND, YOU KNOW, PITCH COME OVER THE PLATE,

SHOULD HAVE BEEN STRIKE THREE, BUT THE UMPIRE WOULDN'T CALL IT.

NEVER CALL STRIKE THREE ON ME WHEN HE SEEN DAD.

HE WAS THE MAN, AND WE ALL RESPECTED HIM FOR THAT.

I THOUGHT I HAD A NORMAL CHILDHOOD.

I HAD FBI AGENTS OUTSIDE MY DOOR 24/7.

SEEING PEOPLE COME AND GO

WHO WENT TO JAIL, WHO GOT KILLED --

THAT'S THE WORLD I GREW UP IN.

Narrator: MICHAEL'S ENTRY INTO THIS VIOLENT WORLD

BECAME OFFICIAL WHEN HE WITNESSED

ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS HITS IN MOB HISTORY.

IT'S JUNE 28, 1971 --

THE SECOND ANNUAL ITALIAN-AMERICAN UNITY DAY RALLY

IN NEW YORK CITY.

JOE COLOMBO, HEAD OF ONE OF NEW YORK'S FIVE MAFIA FAMILIES

AND MICHAEL'S FATHER'S BOSS, IS ABOUT TO MAKE A SPEECH.

Franzese: WE PROBABLY HAD WELL OVER 50,000 PEOPLE.

WE HAD A BIG STAGE SET UP. HE MOTIONED TO ME.

AND HE SAID, "MIKE, I WANT YOU TO HEAD TOWARDS LINCOLN CENTER,

AND I WANT YOU TO HAND THESE BROCHURES OUT TO EVERYBODY."

AND I SAID, "OKAY, JOEY. NO PROBLEM."

AND I WAS EXHILARATED. IT WAS A GREAT DAY.

AND I TURN AWAY TO WALK AWAY FROM HIM,

AND I GET MAYBE 10 STEPS WHEN I HEAR...

...BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. SHOTS.

PEOPLE START TO SCREAM.

I TURN AROUND, AND SOMEBODY YELLS OUT,

"JOEY'S BEEN HIT. JOEY'S BEEN HIT."

WHEN HE GOT SHOT, I WAS RIGHT THERE.

I WAS THE LAST PERSON HE SPOKE TO. I WAS 21.

Narrator: THIS MOMENT HAD A LASTING EFFECT ON MICHAEL

AND WAS THE BEGINNING OF HIS LIFE IN THE MOB.

TO UNDERSTAND MICHAEL'S ROLE IN THE MOB,

YOU MUST FIRST UNDERSTAND ITS ROOTS,

WHICH GO BACK TO SICILY --

A SMALL ISLAND OFF THE COAST OF ITALY.

Raab: FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS,

SICILY WAS OCCUPIED OR CONTROLLED

BY FOREIGN INTRUDERS, FOREIGN INVADERS.

AND WHAT THIS LED TO

WAS, IN EFFECT, PATRIOTIC GROUPS THAT SPRANG UP.

FAMILIES SOMETIMES WOULD BAND TOGETHER

TO OPPOSE THESE OPPRESSORS.

SO, THE ORIGINS OF THE MAFIA WERE WELL-INTENTIONED.

Narrator: BUT THESE PATRIOTS EVENTUALLY TURNED TO CRIME.

DES IN THE 20th CENTURY,

ITALIAN OR SICILIAN GANGSTERS IN AMERICA

WERE OPERATING ON THEIR OWN.

THEY WERE JUST STREET THUGS -- ROBBERS, THIEVES, EXTORTIONISTS.

THERE WAS NO REAL ORGANIZATION.

: NOW, ALL THIS CHANGED

WHEN PROHIBITION BECAME THE LAW IN AMERICA.

OVERNIGHT, A LOT OF THESE SICILIAN AND ITALIAN GANGSTERS

THOUGHT, "WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY. THIS COULD BE A GOLD MINE."

Raab: SO, WHATEVER WAS OUT THERE, WHATEVER MADE A BIG BUCK,

THEY WERE INTO, AND THEY HAD NO COMPETITION.

Narrator: DURING THIS PERIOD, THE AMERICAN MAFIA THRIVED.

BUT RIVALRIES WERE SOON FORMED,

TURNING NEW YORK CITY INTO A VIOLENT GANGLAND.

Narrator: THIS WAVE OF VIOLENCE ENDED

WHEN A YOUNG GANGSTER NAMED CHARLES "LUCKY" LUCIANO

ROSE TO POWER

AND REALIZED THAT WAR WAS BAD FOR BUSINESS.

LUCIANO AND FOUR OTHER MOB LEADERS

BECAME HEADS OF THE ORIGINAL FIVE FAMILIES

AND CREATED A COMMISSION

WHERE THE GROUPS COULD PEACEFULLY COEXIST.

Martens: IT WAS LUCIANO'S IDEA OF CREATING A COMMISSION.

AND IF VIOLENCE HAD TO BE USED,

IT HAD TO BE CLEARED THROUGH THE COMMISSION.

SO, THE WHOLE IDEA WAS,

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, INGENIOUS.

THE COMMISSION BASICALLY BROUGHT ORGANIZATION TO ORGANIZED CRIME.

Narrator: LUCIANO'S ORGANIZATION GREW IN THE DECADES TO COME

AND DOMINATED MUCH OF BROOKLYN,

WHERE THE STORY OF MICHAEL FRANZESE CONTINUES.

Franzese: WELL, YOU SEE, THE THING IS, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IN THIS TOWN

THAT YOU WANTED TO DO.

IT WAS A SAFE HAVEN.

NOBODY WOULD EVER GIVE YOU UP, EVER.

I MEAN, YOU COULD SHOOT A GUY IN THE STREET.

YOU CAN HAVE A BRAWL.

YOU COULD BLOW UP A CAR. NOBODY KNEW ANYTHING.

MY GRANDFATHER CAME OVER HERE IN 1910, 1911.

THIS WAS IT.

NOW, YOU SEE, THIS WAS OUR BUILDING RIGHT HERE.

YOU SEE THIS? THAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTED.

THIS IS WHERE MY FATHER STARTED.

YOU KNOW, AGAIN, HE WAS ONE OF FOUR BROTHERS.

AND THEY WERE ALL TOUGH GUYS, YOU KNOW?

MY UNCLE ONUFRIO --

IN THE BASEMENT OF ONE OF THESE HOUSES HERE,

A GUY OWED HIM MONEY, DIDN'T WANT TO PAY.

MY UNCLE ACTUALLY HUNG HIM UP AND HAD A BLOWTORCH TO HIS FEET

AND WAS BLOWTORCHING THE GUY'S FEET UNTIL HE PAID.

YEAH, MY DAD DIDN'T WANT ME INVOLVED IN THE LIFE.

HE HAD HOPES FOR ME TO GET AN EDUCATION.

HE WANTED ME TO BE A DOCTOR.

I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT I HEARD ALL MY LIFE --

"GO TO SCHOOL. BE A DOCTOR."

Narrator: MICHAEL'S PLANS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY

WHEN HIS FATHER WAS CONVICTED IN A BANK-ROBBERY CASE

AND SENTENCED TO 50 YEARS IN PRISON.

AT 19, MICHAEL BECAME THE NEW HEAD OF THE HOUSEHOLD

AND TURNED TO JOE COLOMBO AND THE MOB

AS A MEANS TO SUPPORT HIS FAMILY.

EVEN WITNESSING HIS NEW MENTOR

BEING GUNNED DOWN ON THAT FATEFUL DAY IN JUNE OF 1971

DIDN'T SWAY MICHAEL FROM ENTERING THE FAMILY BUSINESS.

Franzese: FOR SOME STRANGE REASON,

IT HAD THE OPPOSITE EFFECT ON ME.

FROM THAT POINT ON,

I STARTED TO GET MORE INTERESTED AND MORE INVOLVED.

AND SO, I WENT TO SEE DAD IN PRISON,

AND I SAID, "DAD, I'M NOT GOING TO SCHOOL ANYMORE.

I GOT TO HELP YOU OUT SOME WAY. YOU'RE GONNA DIE IN HERE."

HE WAS UPSET WITH ME.

SO, WE KIND OF WENT AT IT,

AND AFTER A WHILE HE KNEW MY MIND WAS MADE UP.

AND HE SAID TO ME, "SON, I GOT TO ASK YOU ONE QUESTION.

AND I NEED AN ANSWER, AN HONEST ANSWER."

AND I SAID, "WHAT?"

HE SAYS, "IF YOU HAD TO KILL SOMEBODY, COULD YOU DO IT?"

AND I THOUGHT A MINUTE, YOU KNOW?

AND I SAID, "WELL, IF THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE RIGHT,

I THINK I CAN DO IT, YEAH."

HE SAID, "THAT'S THE RIGHT ANSWER.

"GO HOME. I'M GONNA SEND WORD DOWNTOWN.

"SOMEBODY WILL BE IN TOUCH WITH YOU.

DO WHATEVER YOU'RE TOLD." THAT WAS IT.

Narrator: COMING UP... Narrator: MICHAEL FRANZESE MADE MILLIONS