Michael Franzese From Mafia Boss to Podcaster His Story Revealed

Michael Franzese used to be a mob captain. He worked for the Colombo crime family in New York. The city was full of crime back in the 1970s. He recently talked about his experiences on a podcast.

Michael was born in 1951. His dad was John Franzese, a mob underboss, who died at 103. After John went to prison, Michael joined the mob and became a powerful figure. He once made $8 million per week from a gasoline tax fraud in the 1980s.

He got caught and arrested in 1985. He spoke on Steven Bartlett’s podcast in 2024 and shared advice his father gave him for prison. The advice was to say “please,” “thank you,” and “excuse me.” His father said this earns respect in prison, indicating politeness matters, even behind bars.

He pleaded guilty to racketeering and tax fraud in 1986. He got 10 years but was paroled in 1989. He violated parole and got four more years in 1991, and was freed in 1994. He could have died or been locked up forever.

Goodfellas featured a character based on him in 1990. He wrote his autobiography, Quitting the Mob, in 1992, covering his past and his dad. By 1995, he quit the Mafia for good, leading to his father disowning him. He has written seven books and is now a speaker, and his net worth is about $1 million.

He told The New York Times he felt lucky in 2001. He didn’t testify against others, sparing him more trouble. He said he doesn’t worry about death, though he acknowledged tomorrow is uncertain. He is married to actress Camille Garcia, a Christian who runs a fitness business. They married in 1985 after meeting on a movie set, and Michael has seven kids; four are with Camille.