If he didn't stash away the illicit proceeds of his various crimes and had to start again, do you think he would work slavishly to rebuild his life or get back into hustling?

He doesn't need crime.

I still maintain he isn't reformed. Reformation involves a change of mindset. He is still the same old lizardfaced criminal at heart that he always was.

Did Sonny meet Vito Genovese, Tommy Lucchese etc that crowd? I have a feeling he met most of the originals.. I may be wrong?? of course he met Profaci but I've never thought of him as in the league of Genovese , Gambino etc

Even though Sonny is a generation under some of the originals; He was still middle aged and nearly at his peak when Tommy Lucchese and Vito Genovese had tight control over their families. He def know's Profaci because he was a captain under him. He prolly had dealings with Corallo; Salerno; and Castellano who are all of his generation even though he was in and out of prison. Anyone know how respected/feared Sonny Franzese was in his heyday among his contemporaries?

I know he met Joseph Magliocco.. Colombo and Persico (obviously)

I remember Mike saying that Sonny met Carmine Lombardozzi, I think it was at the Copacabana. With Sonny being 101 it's interesting to know that he knew the generation that didn't make it past the late 1930s-1950 , I assume by 1938 / 39 he was already associated with the Colombos

I guess when you bury enough money It's easy to walk away..ask John Jr.

Just 1 murder? appointed a capo and thats the only murder he oversaw? the way he tells the story he shifts the blame other than himself. If he was out on the street fully when the Colombo wars were happening I think we would know much more about some murders. He says he operated in that capacity till around 1993-1995.. I'm assuming he lost his button (capo) a bit before that

he is still making things up that he" knew"

He was very respected, but the main reason why was because of his incredibly violent reputation. I've never heard of him being particularly bright or a good leader. The guy had a lot of idiots around and raised two sons that wound up causing him and the entire family a lot of grief. The guy was around everybody. At 42, he was already a capo.

John Franzese was a feared killer but also a prolific businessman. A lot of the Colombo family’s historic sway in Long Island can be attributed to him. As well as his tight grip on the porn industry. As well as this, he’s a bonafide tough guy.
Let’s be honest now, Michael Franzese turning rat was not good for the Colombo family but it didn’t really cause much grief at all. He never testified against any wiseguys, although he did testify against his own criminal accomplices. John Franzese Jr. was a bit of a blow to the family but in the end it really only hurt Sonny.

Pretty sad when an ex con mobster seems to have more respect for rule of law then the former FBI director...Franzese is 100% correct !!

He's one of the very few likable ex mob guys...Never try's to play the tough guy, bragging about how many people he hurt etc..Never makes any bogus claims like Raquel Welch hitting on him etc..

Grief does not mean damage. You could argue that he didn't cause as much damage as other rats, but his decision to cooperate was a matter of very serious concern at the time. Before he testified against Norby, he had already given them incriminating information about members of that life, including Junior. He obviously had a change of heart, but this wasn't some second rate wiseguy. This was the family's biggest earner and someone who was trusted by almost everybody. When someone of this magnitude turns, the guys on the street feel it. You can just imagine what his father was going through.

As far as Sonny being a great businessman, that's simply not true. Most of his businesses failed and he had no idea how to spend money. He had Deep Throat and a few other big scores, but all that money came and went. You wanna know how much he's worth today? Nothing.

Eh, on Jim Rome's podcast he claimed Livia Soprano was based on his mother, and that the Soprano's used taped conversations between her and Sonny as source material. Never know.