Larry "Champagne" Carrozza Hit Haunted Michael Franzese
Investigation Discovery's Nothing Personal, a six-part series profiling hit men, debuted in March 2011.
Nothing Personal was doomed as well, the short-lived series lasted two seasons.
The premiere episode spotlighted the 1983 murder of would-be Mafioso Larry "Champagne" Carrozza, who was shot by a Colombo crime family hit man/known charlatan. Or Michael Franzese, the ex-Colombo crime family capo who left the life, trading in the Godfather for the Christian God the father.
At least that's what federal agents and other law enforcement experts believed in April of 1992, when The Los Angeles Times noted that the Carrozza hit was "one case in which some experts believe that Franzese may have pulled the trigger."
On May 20, 1983, Carrozza's body was found with one bullet hole behind his right ear.
"Franzese says he did not do it. Some agents and prosecutors wonder about that," the LA Times reported.
In his autobiography, Franzese, seen above, wrote that many blamed him for the murder, some because his father, John "Sonny" Franzese, allegedly ordered it.
I asked about Carrozza during a brief period when I was in touch with Franzese. He never granted me a discussed interview about Carrozza. Regular readers will recall I promoted a film about the former capo's life that he was seeking to publicize at the time.
Charges in Franzese Indictment
Franzese was indicted in December of 1985 on an array of criminal charges related partly to a massive gasoline-tax scam. A Brooklyn-based task force charged him with racketeering, extortion, embezzlement and conspiracy. In Florida, he faced an additional 65 counts of tax evasion, part of a 177-count indictment that included several others.
Franzese made a deal with the Fed's and pleaded guilty to "two of the federal charges and all 65 of the state counts, even though that meant a prison sentence.
"Later, he agreed to testify against Norby Walters, a sports agent who was charged with illegally signing college athletes," the Times noted.
"Within weeks of testifying against Walters, Franzese was freed from prison, having served less than four years of his 10-year sentence. He was sent back in 1991 after admitting to a pair of probation violations--failing to file income tax returns for two years that he was in prison and improperly endorsing a check."
One of nine new series ID launched in 2011's first quarter, each one-hour episode was hosted by Steve Schirripa, who played the doomed Bobby Baccalieri on The Sopranos.
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| Michael Franzese, ex-Colombo crime family capo |
Nothing Personal was doomed as well, the short-lived series lasted two seasons.
The premiere episode spotlighted the 1983 murder of would-be Mafioso Larry "Champagne" Carrozza, who was shot by a Colombo crime family hit man/known charlatan. Or Michael Franzese, the ex-Colombo crime family capo who left the life, trading in the Godfather for the Christian God the father.
At least that's what federal agents and other law enforcement experts believed in April of 1992, when The Los Angeles Times noted that the Carrozza hit was "one case in which some experts believe that Franzese may have pulled the trigger."
The article further noted:
Larry (Champagne) Carrozza--a Brooklyn embalmer with a taste for the good life, including his trademark champagne--once was Franzese's best friend. They drank together and gambled in Las Vegas together. Carrozza was the godfather of three of Franzese's children, and he was the godfather of one of Carrozza's.
But in 1983, Franzese learned that Carrozza, a married man, was having an affair with Franzese's sister and had become involved with drugs. Franzese said the mob had discovered both and had ordered Carrozza's assassination. In his book, Franzese says he tried to warn his friend, but that Carrozza ignored him."
On May 20, 1983, Carrozza's body was found with one bullet hole behind his right ear.
Police noticed that, because there were no signs indicative of a struggle, the killer likely was someone Carrozza knew and trusted.
"Franzese says he did not do it. Some agents and prosecutors wonder about that," the LA Times reported.
In his autobiography, Franzese, seen above, wrote that many blamed him for the murder, some because his father, John "Sonny" Franzese, allegedly ordered it.
Michael Franzese has never been charged in that or any other killing.
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Charges in Franzese Indictment
Franzese was indicted in December of 1985 on an array of criminal charges related partly to a massive gasoline-tax scam. A Brooklyn-based task force charged him with racketeering, extortion, embezzlement and conspiracy. In Florida, he faced an additional 65 counts of tax evasion, part of a 177-count indictment that included several others.
Franzese made a deal with the Fed's and pleaded guilty to "two of the federal charges and all 65 of the state counts, even though that meant a prison sentence.
"Later, he agreed to testify against Norby Walters, a sports agent who was charged with illegally signing college athletes," the Times noted.
"Within weeks of testifying against Walters, Franzese was freed from prison, having served less than four years of his 10-year sentence. He was sent back in 1991 after admitting to a pair of probation violations--failing to file income tax returns for two years that he was in prison and improperly endorsing a check."
As for the Nothing Personal episode, Media Life Magazine offered an interesting review of the kickoff:
"Carrozza, who hoped to be made a full member of the mob, was married but was dating the daughter of Sonny Franzese, the legendary powerful Colombo capo, recently convicted and sent to prison. Carrozza was also involved in a lucrative gas-tax-evasion scheme with Sonny’s son Michael, who stood to profit if he could get a hold of Carrozza’s share.
"The show presents what it says is the first interview ever with the man who confessed to shooting Carrozza, Sal Miciotta. His excuses and half apologies are, sadly, about what we’d expect to hear.
“I pretty much was disgusted with the whole situation,” he says when discussing killing Carrozza. “Doing this to somebody that I really liked, that never did anything bad to me, was not a good thing.”
"Adding to Miciotta’s resentment was the fact that he was called to do the job while waiting at the maternity ward where his wife was giving birth to their daughter."
"According to network listings, most of the future episodes are about non-Mafia hits, so they’ll lack Schirripa’s special insight and the inherent glamour of organized crime. But most involve the powerful combination of money and sex," the review said.
"Carrozza, who hoped to be made a full member of the mob, was married but was dating the daughter of Sonny Franzese, the legendary powerful Colombo capo, recently convicted and sent to prison. Carrozza was also involved in a lucrative gas-tax-evasion scheme with Sonny’s son Michael, who stood to profit if he could get a hold of Carrozza’s share.
"The show presents what it says is the first interview ever with the man who confessed to shooting Carrozza, Sal Miciotta. His excuses and half apologies are, sadly, about what we’d expect to hear.
“I pretty much was disgusted with the whole situation,” he says when discussing killing Carrozza. “Doing this to somebody that I really liked, that never did anything bad to me, was not a good thing.”
"Adding to Miciotta’s resentment was the fact that he was called to do the job while waiting at the maternity ward where his wife was giving birth to their daughter."
"According to network listings, most of the future episodes are about non-Mafia hits, so they’ll lack Schirripa’s special insight and the inherent glamour of organized crime. But most involve the powerful combination of money and sex," the review said.