Crime Today Doesn't Pay, Says Reputed Colombo Wiseguy John Sonny Franzese, 102, In Incredible Newsday Interview
John (Sonny) Franzese is 102 and has a pacemaker, hearing aids, and a broken hip. He got out of prison in June 2017 (he was the oldest inmate in the federal prison system) and now lives in a nursing home. He recently gave Newsday, Long Island's newspaper, a shockingly in-depth interview about his life. (Why? Because "he remembers reporters treating him fairly after his conviction for conspiracy to rob banks in 1967.") It's an amazing interview during which Franzese spoke about his life, New York City and Long Island. But if you're curious about whether age has loosened his lips, we can tell you Nope... Certain topics of course get no reply. And his memory is sharp enough to recall in vivid detail the various allegations law enforcement has lobbed at him (no mean feat for a man at any age). But when asked about the Colombo family, the rackets, Frank Costello and Joseph Bonanno, Omerta — "Franzese professed ignorance, even confusion. ...