MICHAEL Franzese ruled New York City as a caporegime (captain) for the Colombo crime family.
The city became the epicentre of organised crime by the 1970s and Netflix have released a documentary examining how that took place and the former Mobster is heavily involved.
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Who is Michael Franzese?
Michael Franzese was born on May 27 1951.
He was a caporegime, also known as a captain, for the Colombo crime family and is the son of a former underboss, otherwise known as second-in-command, John Franzese, who died in February 2020 aged 103.
After his father was sent to prison for bank robbery in 1967, Michael soon followed in his father's footsteps as he moved up the chain and became a force to be reckoned with in the criminal world.
One of his biggest schemes was defrauding the government out of gasoline taxes in the 1980s, which he said earned him at least $8 million USD a week, but he soon paid for his exploits as he was arrested in December 1985.
Where is he now?
After pleading guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of tax conspiracy in March 1986, Michael was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison before he was released on parole in 1989.
That wasn't his last stint behind bars as he violated his probation requirements and was sentenced to four years in 1991, before he was freed in 1994.
Franzese then decided enough was enough and retired from the Mafia in 1995 with his family.
This came at a cost as he previously revealed his father disowned him when he chose to leave the life of crime behind.
Since then, the ex-captain has released six books about his time in the Mafia and has also become a motivational speaker.
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What is Michael's net worth?
As of 2020, Michael Franzese’s net worth is approximately $1 million.
Speaking about his experiences to The New York Times in 2001, he said: “I’m very lucky.
“I could have been locked away for the rest of my life or had a bullet in my head.”
He also told the publication how he was able to be spared from further repercussions from the Mafia because he did not testify against his former colleagues.
When asked if he was worried about retribution from the mob, he added: “I really don’t worry about dying.
“But you know what? Who knows what’s going to happen tomorrow? I don’t know.”
Who is Michael married to and how many children does he have?
Michael is married to Camille Garcia, his second wife.
She is a devout Christian and is at the head of the new family business of fitness.
Michael has seven children, four with Camille.
Is Michael on Netflix's Fear City?
Michael Franzese features on the Netflix film Fear City, which was released on July 22.
The three-part series supplements the documentary with real anecdotes from his time as part of the mob, which he first became a member of in 1975.
Michael Franzese colors Fear City: New York vs. The Mafia with real stories from the two decades he spent in the mafia, but he was certainly no stranger to the spotlight before Netflix came knocking.
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