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The American Mafia
What is life really like in the American mafia? How do you get in, get made, and make money? What happens when you get in too deep? This two-hour special takes viewers on a step-by-step journey through the world’s most famous criminal organization as lived by one of its most notorious members. It will answer all these questions by turning to the ultimate authority: former Colombo family captain Michael Franzese.
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The American Mafia, also known as La Cosa Nostra, is a highly structured criminal organization operated in the United States for decades. Below is a comprehensive exploration of life in the American Mafia, the process of getting in, becoming a “made” member, methods of making money, and the consequences of becoming too deeply involved, drawing heavily on the insights of Michael Franzese, a former caporegime in the Colombo crime family. This response is informed by Franzese’s experiences as detailed in sources like The Definitive Guide to the Mob and his public statements, including his books, interviews, and media appearances.
Life in the American Mafia
Life in the American Mafia is a complex mix of power, wealth, loyalty, and constant danger. It operates as a hierarchical organization with strict codes of conduct, including the oath of omertà (silence) and absolute loyalty to the family. Members live in a world where trust is scarce, betrayal can lead to death, and the line between legitimate business and crime is often blurred. According to Michael Franzese, a former captain in the Colombo crime family, life in the Mafia involves balancing earning money, maintaining respect, and avoiding law enforcement or internal conflicts.
Structure and Hierarchy: The Mafia is organized into families, each led by a boss, with an underboss, consigliere (advisor), caporegimes (captains), soldiers, and associates. Each member has a role, with earners like Franzese valued for generating revenue. The structure ensures money flows upward, with each level taking a cut.
- Day-to-Day Life: As Franzese noted in The Definitive Guide to the Mob, members often present a polished, professional image to blend into society.
- They engage in legitimate and illegal activities, from running businesses to orchestrating scams.
- The lifestyle can appear glamorous—expensive suits, lavish dinners.
- Still, it’s underpinned by paranoia, as members must constantly watch for betrayal or law enforcement.
- Culture and Loyalty: The Mafia demands absolute loyalty, reinforced by the omertà oath.
- Violating this code, such as cooperating with authorities, can result in severe consequences, including murder.
- Franzese described life as “evil” because it destroys families and lives, despite the romanticized portrayal in media like The Godfather.
How to Get In
Joining the American Mafia is not an open process; it requires connections, trust, and a willingness to commit to a life of crime. Michael Franzese’s journey into the Colombo family illustrates the typical path:
Connections and Nepotism: Entry often begins through family or close associates already in the Mafia. Franzese, the son of Colombo underboss Sonny Franzese, was approached by family boss Joseph Colombo after his father’s 1967 imprisonment for bank robbery. Despite his father’s initial desire for him to pursue a legitimate career (e.g., as a doctor), Franzese dropped out of a pre-med program at Hofstra University to help his family financially.
- Associate Status: Newcomers start as associates, non-members who work for the family.
- Associates must prove their loyalty and ability to earn money through criminal activities like loan sharking, gambling, or extortion.
- Franzese began as an associate, building trust with his father’s allies.
- Proving Yourself: Associates undergo a rigorous evaluation, even if connected by blood.
- Franzese noted that nepotism is common, but “you must go through the same recruitment period to prove yourself.”
- This involves demonstrating reliability, resourcefulness, and adherence to Mafia rules.
Getting “Made”
Becoming a “made” member, or a fully initiated soldier, is a significant milestone in the Mafia, marked by a formal induction ceremony. Franzese’s experience provides insight into this process:
- Induction Ceremony: Franzese was officially inducted as a made man under acting boss Tommy DiBella on Halloween night, 1975.
- The ceremony involved taking a blood oath and swearing omertà, pledging loyalty to the Colombo family with the death penalty for betrayal.
- He described holding a burning piece of paper and reciting vows, a ritual echoed in popular media.
- The ceremony was attended by other inductees, including Jimmy Angelino, Joseph Peraino Jr., Salvatore Miciotta, Vito Guzzo Sr., and John Minerva, most of whom died violently within 20 years.
- Criteria for Membership: To be “made,” one typically needs to be of Italian descent (though exceptions exist) and have a proven track record of earning money and following orders.
- Franzese’s induction was expedited due to his father’s status, but he still had to demonstrate his value.
- Significance: Being “made” grants full membership, protection from other mobsters (e.g., you cannot be harmed without permission from higher-ups), and a share of the family’s profits.
- However, it also binds you to the family’s rules and consequences.
Making Money in the Mafia
The Mafia’s primary goal is generating wealth, and members like Franzese were valued for their ability to create lucrative schemes. Franzese was one of the biggest earners in Mafia history, reportedly generating up to $8 million per week at his peak.
Common Revenue Streams
- Gasoline Tax Scam: Franzese’s most famous scheme involved the U.S. government using gasoline taxes in the early 1980s.
- He partnered with Lawrence Salvatore Iorizzo and the Russian Mafia, setting up 18 stock-bearer companies in Panama to exploit tax-free gasoline sales loopholes.
- This operation brought in millions weekly, rivaling all other Mafia schemes.
- Traditional Rackets: The Mafia profits from loan sharking, extortion, illegal gambling, protection rackets, and narcotics trafficking.
- Franzese’s father, Sonny, had interests in the gambling and music industries, including Buddah Records, which was used to launder money.
- Legitimate Businesses: Many mobsters, including Franzese, operated legitimate businesses as fronts. Franzese used his polished appearance to engage bankers, union officials, and executives in financial scams, blending legal and illegal activities.
- Money Distribution: Money flows up the hierarchy, with soldiers and associates passing a percentage to their captain, who shares it with the boss.
- Holding back earnings can lead to severe punishment, including death.
- Franzese emphasized that being an “earner” afforded him protection and influence, as bosses valued his revenue.
Consequences of Getting in Too Deep
The Mafia life is fraught with risks, and getting in too deep can lead to dire consequences, as Franzese’s story illustrates:
- Legal Consequences: Franzese’s gasoline tax scam drew FBI attention, leading to his 1986 conviction on conspiracy charges.
- He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, served time, and faced multiple parole violations, with final release in 1994.
- His legal battles included five major racketeering indictments and numerous grand jury appearances.
- Violence and Betrayal: The Mafia’s code of loyalty means betrayal (e.g., cooperating with authorities) often results in death.
- Franzese witnessed friends like Jimmy Angelino and John Minerva being killed, experiences that haunted him years later.
- He described the loss of close associates as the “darkest moment” of his Mafia life.
- Family and Personal Toll: The Mafia destroys families through incarceration, violence, or emotional strain.
- Franzese’s family was fractured by his father’s imprisonment and his own choices. However, he later reconciled with his father before Sonny died in 2020.
- His wife witnessed him fighting in his sleep, a lingering effect of his past.
- Leaving the Mafia: Exiting the Mafia is nearly impossible, as the saying goes, “The only way to leave the Mafia is in a coffin.”
- Franzese defied this by publicly quitting in 1995 without entering witness protection, a feat no other high-ranking member has replicated.
- His decision was influenced by his Christian faith and meeting his wife, Camille Garcia, in 1984.
- However, leaving came with risks, including a hit ordered by his father, which he survived.
Michael Franzese’s Unique Perspective
- Michael Franzese, dubbed the “Prince of the Mafia,” provides a rare insider’s view through The Definitive Guide to the Mob.
- This two-hour special details his journey from induction to exit.
- As a former Colombo family captain, he earned more money than anyone since Al Capone, ranking #18 on Fortune Magazine’s “Fifty Most Wealthy and Powerful Mafia Bosses” in 1986.
- His ability to walk away without betraying associates or entering witness protection makes him a unique authority.
- Franzese now shares his story through books like Blood Covenant.
- I’ll Make You an Offer You Can’t Refuse, a YouTube channel with over one million subscribers, and speaking engagements, emphasizing transformation and the dangers of the Mafia life.
- As Michael Franzese described, life in the American Mafia is a high-stakes world of wealth and power overshadowed by violence, betrayal, and legal risks.
- Getting in requires connections and proving your worth, while becoming “made” involves a sacred oath.
- Money is made through sophisticated scams and traditional rackets, but getting in too deep can lead to prison, death, or family destruction.
Franzese’s unprecedented exit from the Colombo family without witness protection underscores the dangers of life and his remarkable transformation.
The Definitive Guide to the Mob offers a step-by-step look at this world, revealing its allure and devastating consequences.
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What happened to Chicago area mobsters. I heard many mobsters in Chicago are in the waste management and construction business. I remember a nice gentleman by the name of Peter DiFronzo who was the owner of D&P Construction in Melrose Park, Illinois, a waste management company. His residence was South Barrington, Illinois. His brother was John No Nose Difronzo.
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To answer your question about the Chicago area mobsters, it’s important to note that the Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Mafia, has a long and storied history. The organization has been involved in various illegal activities, including racketeering, extortion, and labor union manipulation. Over the years, many mobsters in Chicago have been involved in legitimate businesses as a front for their criminal activities, particularly in the waste management and construction sectors.
One notable figure you mentioned is Peter DiFronzo, who was a prominent member of the Chicago Outfit. Peter DiFronzo was a “made” member and served as the caporegime of the Elmwood Park Crew within the Chicago Outfit. He was involved in various racketeering schemes and was known for his connections to the waste management industry. His brother, John “No Nose” DiFronzo, was also a significant figure in the Outfit and was considered one of the top bosses at one point.
The DiFronzo brothers were involved in D&P Construction, a waste-hauling business based in Melrose Park, Illinois. Although the business was officially run by Peter DiFronzo’s wife, Josephine, it was widely believed that Peter and his brother John were the true controllers of the enterprise. The FBI had extensive surveillance on Peter DiFronzo, tracking his movements even when he was walking his dog, which indicates the level of scrutiny and suspicion surrounding their activities.
The involvement of the DiFronzo brothers in legitimate businesses like waste management and construction allowed them to launder money and maintain a respectable facade while engaging in criminal activities. This strategy is common among organized crime groups, who often use legitimate businesses to hide their illegal earnings and operations.
As for the current state of the Chicago Outfit, it has faced significant declines due to the deaths of older mobsters and increased federal prosecutions. However, the organization has adapted and continues to operate, albeit with a reduced presence compared to its heyday. The Outfit’s activities have shifted, and it is now more focused on traditional rackets and less on the high-profile, violent crimes of the past.
In recent years, the Chicago Outfit has been linked to various construction and casino projects, which has raised concerns about organized crime’s influence in these industries. For instance, the construction of Bally’s Chicago casino was halted due to the involvement of a waste-hauling firm with historical ties to the DiFronzo brothers, highlighting the ongoing presence of the Outfit in these sectors.
In summary, the Chicago area mobsters, including the DiFronzo brothers, have historically been involved in waste management and construction businesses as a means to launder money and maintain a legitimate front for their criminal activities. While the Outfit’s influence has waned, it remains active, and its members continue to adapt to changing circumstances.
FBI tracked Chicago Outfit figure Peter DiFronzo even when he walked his dog, files show.
Onetime Chicago Outfit boss John ‘No Nose’ DiFronzo’s FBI files shed no light on why he escaped charges in ‘Family Secrets’ killings.
Is mob still active in Chicago? Yes, but not how you might expect – NBC Chicago.
Chicago Casino Development Halted Over Mobster Links
Bally’s Chicago Casino Work Stalled Amid Mob-Tied Vendor Probe – SCCG Management.
Bally’s Chicago Casino Halted Over Vendor Once Linked to Mob by FBI.
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Chicago Casino Development Halted Over Mobster Links
Bally’s is halting construction of its Chicago casino as the Illinois regulator learned a company with organized crime links is working on-site.
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