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.
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.
