Page 13: From wise guy to life coach, Michael Franzese wants to set gangsters straight

He once vowed he would never wear a wire, but former New York crime boss Michael Franzese is now spilling the Mafia’s secrets in a bid to help Melbourne’s young thugs turn their lives around.

Former New York Mafia boss Michael Franzese. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

Dubbed as the only man to walk away from the Mafia, former New York crime boss Michael Franzese is about to set Melbourne’s bikie bosses and gangsters straight.

The wise guy grew up as the son of the notorious Underboss of New York’s violent and feared Colombo crime family and was named as one of the biggest money earners the mob had seen since Al Capone before he was jailed.

It was while he was incarcerated that he saw the light after being handed the Bible to read by a guard.

“That guard handing me the Bible at a very, very dark time in my life, a tremendous inspiration to me. And it has been ever since,” Franzese says.

He has since turned his life around and now gives motivational speeches, with a special warning to our young and dumb who think they can live a life of crime with no consequences.

Labelled one of the 50 biggest crime bosses in the world in the 80s with a role in cult mob movie “Goodfellas” created after him, it’s lucky he isn’t swimming with the fishes and more so around to tell the tales.

Franzese is labelled one of the 50 biggest crime bosses in the world in the ‘80s with a role in cult mob movie ‘Goodfellas’ created after him.

“I’m the only one alive and free,” he declares.

Franzese, 73, became a major target of law enforcement and was arrested 18 times, indicted seven times and had two federal racketeering cases brought against him, one by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

“I went to trial five times and I was acquitted or dismissed in every case but ultimately took a 10-year prison sentence for defrauding the government,” he explains.

“But I’m saying not only did I face challenges on the street in that life with very smart, savvy people, but I had the government on my back every single day. So when you can navigate that and come out on top, you learn a lot.”

Franzese says his message to wannabe gangsters is that the lifestyle is not what they see in the Hollywood movies. Picture: Supplied

For someone who vowed he would never wear a wire it’s quite the turnaround to now be telling the world all of the Mafia secrets which he will be doing in Melbourne at the Timberyard — An Evening With Michael Franzese — on Wednesday April 9.

“People want to hear about the mob life. They’re very intrigued about it,” he says.

“It (motivational speaking) was never in my game plan for any part of my life. But you know, sometimes the unexpected comes up and it turns out to be pretty good.

“Twenty years of my life. I was a criminal. I was, you know, I was doing things that were against the law on a daily basis.”

Franzese spent time in prison with Lyle Menendez, pictured here with his brother, Erik Menendez. Picture: AFP

In prison he spent almost a year in solitary confinement with Lyle Menendez — of Menendez brothers fame who were jailed for killing their parents — and says there was no question the brothers were abused by their father.

“I spent 11 months with Lyle in solitary confinement and I do believe he and his brother were abused by their parents, there’s no question,” he told Page 13.

“I asked him a lot of questions about why they didn’t go to relatives or the police about the abuse they were going through and he told me his father ruled the family and things would have been a lot worse if he spoke up.”

He says his message to wannabe gangsters is that the lifestyle is not what they see in the Hollywood movies.

“I really just try to put them on the right track and let them understand that the gang life, the mob life, it’s a one-way street, you know, eventually you’re going to go down.

“Hollywood has glamourised no gang-related life like they have the mafia. The youngsters and gangbangers and bikies in Melbourne need to understand that was a bad life.

“When I speak to them they’ll tell me, ‘Come on, Michael, you were in Goodfellas, and look at the life you led, you had the best cars, the best women’. I always say to them, but didn’t you see the end of the movie? They all got killed and went to jail. They don’t see that part. They just see the good stuff.”