Michael Franzese

Michael Franzese
Michael Franzese in 2009
Born	(1951-03-27) March 27, 1951 (age 65) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Other names	The Yuppie Don
Citizenship	United States

Michael "Yuppie Don" Franzese (born May 27, 1951) is a former New York mobster and caporegime of the Colombo crime family who was heavily involved in the gasoline tax rackets in the 1980s. Since then, he has publicly renounced organized crime, become a devoted Christian, created a foundation for helping youth, and became a motivational speaker.

Born in Brooklyn, New York City, Franzese is the son of reputed Colombo underboss John "Sonny" Franzese. After finishing high school, Franzese entered Hofstra University and started a premed program. However, in October 1975 Franzese decided to quit college to take care of his father and work for the Colombo family. By the 1980s, he had become a caporegime, or captain, of a crew.

Franzese's rise in the Colombo family came from the infamous gasoline bootlegging rackets, which were very lucrative for the family. Working with the Russian Mafia, Franzese sold millions of gallons of gasoline. The family would collect the state and federal taxes, but keep the money instead. At the same time, they were often selling the gas at lower prices than at legitimate gas stations. In 1986, Fortune Magazine listed Franzese as number 18 on its list of the "Fifty Most Wealthy and Powerful Mafia Bosses." According to a Federal report, Franzese made more money for a crime family than anyone since Chicago Outfit boss Al Capone.

In 1985, Franzese was indicted on 14 counts of racketeering, counterfeiting and extortion from the gasoline bootlegging racket. In 1986, Franzese pleaded guilty to two counts. He was sentenced to ten years in federal prison with $14 million in restitution payments.

By 1980, Franzese was a partner with booking agent Norby Walters in his firm. Franzese's role was to intimidate existing and prospective clients. In 1981, Franzese successfully extorted a role for Walters in the US tour by singer Michael Jackson and his brothers. In 1982, the manager for singer Dionne Warwick wanted to drop Walters as an agent; Franzese met with the manager and persuaded him to keep Walters.