In Conversation With Michael Franzese
By Jake Freeman
On Friday night, The Palais Theatre played host to Michael Franzese, a former mobster who was a caporegime (captain) in the Colombo crime family, now turned motivational speaker. He is the son of former underboss Sonny Franzese. Originally Michael was on the path to study medicine and had no intention of inheriting the crime world as his father had, but would eventually do so, after his father was sentenced to 50 years in prison for bank robbery.
By the age of 35, in 1986, Fortune Magazine listed Michael Franzese as number 18 on its list of the “Fifty Most Wealthy and Powerful Mafia Bosses.” After finding God while spending nearly a decade behind bars, he decided to quit the Mob. With contracts out on his life – including one approved by his own father – he took his family and fled New York and moved to California. Since leaving prison and the Mob, Michael has turned his life around, leaving the crime world and for the past 25 years, has worked as a writer and motivational speaker. Speaking at corporate events, universities, prisons and churches, Michael is also very active online, with millions of followers across his various platforms.
This week, Michael was touring Melbourne and Sydney with his show, In Conversation with Michael Franzese, giving the audience a glimpse into his journey, ready to answer any questions asked by his spellbound audience.
The show was hosted by former Detective Chief Inspector, author, and host of the podcast, ‘I Catch Killers,’ Gary Jubelin. During the hour-long speech, Michael spoke candidly about his life, from childhood, loyalty to his gangster father, blood oaths and lifelong allegiance to the Cosa Nostra, explaining: “I am incredibly blessed to be alive and well and here on the stage talking freely to you, especially at my age. Most people in my former life would be dead or in jail by now.”
Michael was re-joined on stage by host Gary and took questions, ranging from the mob’s alleged connections to the John F Kennedy assassination, the accuracy of Hollywood mafia films, to his own late father, who at the age of 100 had become America’s oldest prisoner. Michael Franzese’s speech and Q&A was deeply moving, emotional and highly inspirational.
To learn more about Michael Franzese, his writings and work, go to his website at https://store.michaelfranzese.com/
