Colonel, as I said earlier "with all do respect" you happen to be dead wrong on this one!
Michael's deal with the feds dovetailed perfectly with his 'back to back' federal and state arrests (3-4 cases in a row) around the mid-80s or so. 1984-1985-1986. As far as I know he was never a rat in earlier years. But the deal he got (10 years - which by the way he NEVER served, and that whopping money fine) we in direct correlation to his turning rat at that time.
I think he was actually behind bars less than a year. And that was only for show, and while he was constantly being debriefed by the feds. So even behind bars, he was being pulled out of jail for conversations and 302s, etc. What a fucking joke!
10 Years on paper sounded decent (although he probably would have pulled 20 years or better for those frauds if it had been on the up and up). But he had ALREADY made his deal. Thats why he was sent to Terminal Island, CA., to serve his term. Far away from the prying eyes of fellow wise guys, and far away from potential danger if they found out he was cooperating.
Only months after he was supposed in prison, I think it was CBS or NBC did an undercover television documentary on him. They photographed him driving around in a white convertible Cadillac Eldorado on Los Angeles streets. It was on national TV for all to see. They also followed him to a beautiful leased home he was living in at the time (all this while he was supposed to be in prison serving his sentence). He was NOT. He was free and living his life.
It caused a major embarrassment for the feds, and exposed Franzese as a cooperator who's associates were all currently serving prison time on cases he was a defendant in, yet the "their boss" Michael Franzese was free as a bird. Their fearless leader had sold them all down the drain and used their jail terms to help skate from his own sentence.
From THAT moment on, everybody started to understand that he was a stone rat! And after the cat was out of the bag he just admitted it, went into hiding, and then started publicly giving testimony.
His father was broken in rank and 'shelved,' stripped of his rackets and activities, and the Franzese name became mud. Only in later years did Sonny redeem himself because he was as stand-up as they come. Michael had basically ruined the family name.
That is the truth. Period!!!
And any bullshit to the contrary is just that.
From 1986 forward, he was an informer who helped the feds in numerous ways. More than is even publicly known as I said earlier.
PS: and to address your statement "violated twice and sent back to prison".... that was because he was trying to fuck the feds out of the $15,000,000 fines/restitution he had promised them as part of his deal. So they threw him back in the jug several times to shake him up and squeeze him for money. Which I suspect he ended up coughing up at some point. He tried screwing them also for the money he promised. that's why they jailed him. NOT because he was 'standing up' and not ratting. Quite the contrary!
I have to disagree with you here and I'll prove you are mistaken. I'll tell you what. You ask a question first and then I'll answer. If you take a plea deal for 10 years in 85 you are gonna get parole in 4. It was before the Bail reform act of 1984 which was when his pattern of racketeering started . I'll go first with my question. Where is your evidence of a deal between Franzese and th Feds when Mike started talking on 1989? What did the Feds promise mike for his information?
