Blood Covenant Read online

  There's an old saying that the only way to leave the Mafia is in a coffin. Members are pledged to a lifetime of secrecy, and to quit would be to arouse suspicion that you are cooperating with the police or federal agents. Such breaches of faith the mob punishes with death.

  Michael Franzese says he's willing to take that risk. He will not betray his former crime associates and then disappear into the federal Witness Protection Program... .If he holds to what he has promised.. .it will mark the first time that a high-ranking member of the Mafia will publicly walk away from his past.

  -Edward Barnes and William Shebar, Life magazine, December 1987

  Investigative correspondent Brian Ross and producer Ira Silverman have been tracking the mob ever since they first hooked up as a team here at NBC fifteen years ago. They've met a variety of characters in their travels, but none as slick as the one they introduce to us tonight.. .a handsome and high-living young man as rich as royalty, and royalty he is-a prince-of the Mafia.

  -Tom Brokaw, "Expose," January 1991

  Within a decade, Franzese had become... one of the biggest earners the mob had seen since Capone, and the youngest individual in Fortune magazine's survey of "The 50 Biggest Mafia Bosses."

  -Fredric Dannen, Vanity Fair, February 1991

  Michael Franzese has a lot to pray for. Before he was born again, he was a family man. The family was the Colombo crime family. And Michael Franzese was a captain, one of the richest and most powerful men in the mob.

  -Bernard Goldberg, "48 Hours," May 1991

  I wouldn't want to be in Michael Franzese's shoes. I don't think his life expectancy is very substantial.

  -Edward McDonald, former attorney-in-charge, Organized Crime Strike Force, Eastern District of New York

  He will get whacked.

  -Bernie Welsh, retired FBI organized crime expert and legendary mob hunter

  He's a fascinating person. What he did was intriguing. It took a lot of time and energy to dissect what he did.

  -Jerry Bernstein, former special attorney, U.S. Department of Justice; special agent, Organized Crime Strike Force, Eastern District of New York

  I pray for Michael every night.

  -Tina Franzese, Michael's mother

  That God teamed an ex-cop and an ex-Mafia capo is truly proof that the ground at the foot of the cross is level-and that God has a sense of humor. The evidence is compelling that Michael is the real deal-both who he was in the "life," and who he is today in the faith.

  -Rob Michaels, personal representative of Michael Franzese, founder of Lord & Michaels Entertainment, and former law enforcement officer

  MICHAEL FRANIESE

  ME QUIT THE MOB AND LIVED

  Dedication

  In loving memory of my dear mother-in-law, Irma Garcia.

  Acknowledgments

  To my friend and adviser, Rob Michaels, thank you for making this book possible.

  To Harold McDougal, thank you for the hours of hard work you contributed to organizing my thoughts.

  A special thank you to my valued assistant, Christine, for caring as much as you do and for being a true friend of the family. You are very much appreciated.

  To Tina and Maria, my eldest daughters, who have endured all of the difficult times to become such lovely and talented young ladies. I love you both so very much. To my son John, whose strong support and dedication have made me proud to have him by my side. To my lovely daughter Miquelle, who came into this life when we needed you most. You have been a constant source of joy. To my lovely daughter Amanda, whose spirit so closely resembles my own. I love you dearly. To my namesake, Michael Jr. In you I see so much of myself. Use your abundant talents wisely. And finally, to my most cherished baby, Julia. You are truly Daddy's little girl, my bundle of joy. I thank God for blessing me with all of you.

  To my most precious wife, Camille, my partner for life. I thank you for the past seventeen years. I thank you for never leaving my side. I thank you for being you. I love you, honey, "forever and ever and always."

  And finally, thank You, God for allowing me to glorify You in my work.

  -Michael Franzese

  Cammy's Acknowledgments

  To my beloved mother, thank you for your unconditional love, your patience, and your understanding. You were my very best friend. At times, I feel so lost without you. Your voice remains a constant echo in my ear throughout my day. I can hear you encouraging me to always be the woman that God wants me to be. I miss you more than you could ever know.

  The seeds that you planted are growing so abundantly, you would be overjoyed. You were right about Michael, Mom. You had the vision long ago. Thank you for your faithfulness, your endless prayers, and for planting a seed in my heart when I was a little girl. I pray that I can be like you, Mother-a woman after God's own heart. You were the woman in Proverbs, "the wife of noble character." I will cherish the memories of our lives together until my last breath.

  To my father, thank you for caring for me as much as you do, Dad. I know you love me and I will always love you. Thank you for being such a wonderful and caring grandfather to all of your grandchildren. They all adore you. I know how much you miss Mom. I will always do my best to care for you and to comfort your aching heart. From your "Skumpy."

  To my beautiful children, thank you for inspiring me to be the best mother I can be. Miquelle, Amanda, and Michael Jr., thank you for carrying me through all the years we spent alone. My darling, Julia, thank you for being our thanksgiving gift to God for bringing Daddy home to us. You are all amazing gifts from God and I am blessed to be your mother. I am always here for you. You are all my heart.

  To my dearest husband, thank you for all your wisdom, strength, and amazing courage in the face of all the obstacles you had to overcome. Thank you for always putting your family first. Thank you for allowing God to use you in such a meaningful way, all for His glory. You always have been and always will be my hero, honey. Thank you for loving me. I love you more then mere words can express. Forever, my love!

  Contents

  Note to the Reader ................................................................9

  Foreword ..............................................................................11

  Introduction .........................................................................15

  Book One: The Old Life .......................................................21

  Photo Insert .....................................................................201a

  Book Two: The New Life in Christ ...................................253

  Epilogue .............................................................................377

  From Cammy .....................................................................383

  Afterword ..........................................................................387

  Appendix ............................................................................399

  Note to the Reader

  Dear Reader,

  Please allow me to tell my story in the language of the street. Bear with me as I speak of "made men" and of being "straightened out," and as I talk about "cops" and "feds" and of someone "rolling over" on his friends. This is how I experienced it, and I speak here in the way of my former life because I want you, the reader, to experience it with me.

  -Michael Franzese

  Foreword by Dary Matera

  What lies ahead for Michael Franzese? A successful career producing movies and dealing in real estate? Personal appearances witnessing and giving his testimony as a born-again Christian? A seduction back into the mob? A bullet? Depending upon whom one speaks to, all are possibilities.

  -From the epilogue of Quitting the Mob />
  When I tapped out those words in 1991 to begin the epilogue of Michael Franzese's first autobiography, Quitting the Mob, I never would have imagined that I would be writing the foreword to an updated version of that book a dozen years later. Actually, I counted myself among those who wouldn't have taken the fat end of a hundred-to-one bet that he would still be breathing.

  But a funny thing happened on the road to Michael Franzese's apparently inevitable funeral: he never died.

  To the contrary, most of the other possibilities for his life that I put forth in the epilogue of Quitting the Mob have come true. There have been movie projects, concert promotions, CD releases, real estate deals, and speaking engagements. How has Franzese pulled it off? Most mob-busting district attorneys and FBI agents whom I've spoken with in the last decade insist that it's been "business" as usual because Michael never really quit the mob.

  But I've seen no evidence to support that theory. Quite the opposite, actually. What I have noticed above all is that Michael's Christian testimony has come to dominate his life, especially in recent years.

  I have to admit, I was skeptical about his conversion for a long time. His first few years as a Christian were rough, and he had some notable stumbles when it came to living out his faith. Very few Christians I know have had Los Angeles Police Department SWAT teams burst into their homes with guns drawn, ordering everybody, including small children, to hit the deck. The "backward thinking" detailed in Quitting the Mob-wrong was right, gangsters were the good guys, and cops and prosecutors were the bad guys in Michael's world-appeared to be too ingrained in him to ever change. I was particularly dismayed that he hadn't cleaned up his Sopranos-like gangster street language. It wasn't uncommon to hear him talk about the love of Jesus one minute and then drop a string of obscenities the next.

  When I expressed these misgivings to his longsuffering wife Cammy-the beautiful dancer who helped bring Michael to God and inspired him to give up his criminal empire-she would just smile and say, "Give him time, Dary. Rome wasn't built in a day." Cammy's unwavering belief in Michael made me recall what she wrote in her part of the Quitting the Mob epilogue: "I know I changed his life, but it wasn't me in the flesh .... God said that through this woman I'll save Michael Franzese. God wanted to save him. God could see into Michael's heart."

  Little by little, the seed Cammy planted in Michael's heart in 1985 has sprouted and grown into a sturdy tree, proving yet again that God is infinitely patient and has His own timetable. Michael's heavy-handed old ways and his paralyzing backward thought process have slowly receded. Along with them, the toughguy street language also faded away.

  And that was just the beginning. Eventually, Michael's allconsuming passion to make enormous amounts of money began to take a backseat. Replacing it was an intensified desire not only to walk the walk of a Christian but also to take an active part in spreading the Good News of God's abounding love and the gift of redemption through Jesus Christ. What prompted this was the courageous battle his mother-in-law, Irma, waged against an ultimately fatal illness that she came to accept as God's will. The firsthand experience of being with a cheerful, upbeat Christian preparing to "go home" moved Michael deeply.

  Michael's charitable music and entertainment company, Breaking Out, was originally designed as an operation geared to help disadvantaged young men and women get a foothold in the music, motion picture, and sports industries. Today, it's been transformed into a full-fledged ministry that uses the Internet and personal appearances to get the message out.

  In late 2002, I turned on the television one evening and was flabbergasted to see my old mob pal Michael giving his testimony on Paul and Jan Crouch's popular cable television show Praise the Lord. Seeing him sitting and chatting comfortably with guest host Dwight Thompson compelled me to circle back to the same nagging question that millions of others must have been thinking at that very same moment: how come this guy's still alive?

  How indeed, especially considering that he's lived a very public life since quitting the mob. He never went into the Witness Protection Program, and he kicked off his public speaking career in 1995 after being released from prison. He traveled to the training camps of professional football, baseball, basketball, and hockey teams to warn wealthy young athletes about the dangers of gambling. The high-profile effort eventually moved to the collegiate level as well. I remember driving to Arizona State University one sunny afternoon in the late 1990s to watch him pace back and forth on the stage as big as life, telling the wide-eyed audience to stay away from people like he used to be.

  "If the mob wants to waste this guy, he's sure giving them enough chances," I thought to myself at the time.

  But as he bowed his head to pray on Praise the Lord that night, the mystery of his survival was revealed in an enlightening rush. Michael Franzese has been untouchable all these years because he's under the protection of Father God. God has plans for Michael, big plans, that are only now being brought to fruition.

  The gangster turned baby Christian has matured rapidly. He has a powerful story to share, one about God's love and forgiveness. It's a story about even the most treacherous and violent of people being lifted out of darkness and into the light. If Michael Franzese can turn his life around, not only in words but also in deeds and a refocused dedication to what's really important, then anybody can. If Michael Franzese can reverse fifty years of backward thinking and finally get that good versus bad thing down, then no one is beyond hope.

  Michael's is a story of a life pulled from the gloomiest pit and gloriously resurrected. Praise the Lord indeed!

  Daiy Matera

  Chandler, Arizona

  Introduction

  There's an old saying that the only way to leave the Mafia is in a coffin. Members are pledged to a lifetime of secrecy and to quit would be to arouse suspicion that you are cooperating with the police or federal agents. Such breaches of faith are punished with death.

  Michael Franzese says he's willing to take that risk. He will not betray his former crime associates and then disappear into the federal Witness Protection Program.... If he holds to what he has promised.. .it will mark the first time that a high-ranking member of the Mafia will publicly walk away from his past.

  -Life magazine, 1987

  It's been sixteen years since Life magazine published the story that included the above excerpt. I had granted Life an interview while serving time at the federal correctional institution at Terminal Island, California. But the article took even me by surprise.

  "Quitting the Mafia!" the headline screamed, and there I was in living color, sprawled across two large pages. That was definitely not cool, considering that I had to share the prison yard with fifteen other fellow mob guys. As soon as the warden got wind of the article and the uproar it was causing, he called me into his office and asked me if I had a death wish. I had a very hard time convincing him not to lock me up in solitary for my own protection. In the end, he made me sign a waiver absolving the prison of any liability in the event that I met an untimely demise during my stay in his establishment.

  It all began with an innocent enough statement I had made to the reporter who wrote the story. I was tired of a lifetime of battling law enforcement, I said. I had five prior indictments and five trials (albeit five victories). The last trial had been a sixmonth battle with Rudy Giuliani's cracker-jack organized crime lieutenants. And while all of this had been going on in one arena, I had also been battling to free my father from a fifty-year prison sentence he was serving because the feds had hit him with a bad rap in 1967. He had been a big catch, a superstar in organized crime.

  With all of this, there had been endless investigations, grand juries, subpoenas, undercover operations, surveillance tapes, wiretaps, electronic bugs, and informants. At least the lawyers did well. The legal bills seemed to never cease. And it all gets to you after a while and wears you down-even if you are in the business of organized crime.

  Just a year earlier, I had taken a plea to a
ninety-nine-count federal racketeering indictment. I was fortunate to be able to wrap up in that one plea agreement all pending charges against me. In exchange, I would do a ten-year prison sentence and pay fines and restitution of $15 million. It was a pretty good deal, considering that the Justice Department had put in motion an unprecedented crackdown against the New York mob.

  For the most part, the feds liked the deal, too. They were anxious to rack up some kind of conviction against me.

  I had it all figured out. I could do five years in a place close to my new home in Los Angeles. There, my wife Cammy could visit me regularly. She would have enough money to last her until I got home. She had our baby daughter to keep her occupied, as well as another on the way. Five years away from her newlywed husband would not be a walk in the park, but she could survive it.

  True, she was only twenty-one years old and drop-dead gorgeous. But she was very special, not like so many other young girls. She would make it because she loved me.

  Cammy's mom was in my corner, too. What a great lady! She would help keep Cammy strong. Then there was my real ace in the hole.. .but I'll get to that.

  And as for this "quitting the mob" nonsense, I wasn't concerned about that. The guys back in New York knew I wasn't quitting anything. It simply wasn't permitted. It didn't matter what I had said publicly. A few of the old hard-liners might get their feathers ruffled, but I could handle that.

  In the old days, you could deny the very existence of the mob, but that was before wiretaps and bugging devices, and all you had was the uncorroborated word of mob turncoats. So you couldn't prove that this secret organization even existed. Not even J. Edgar Hoover believed it. Or so he said. But new surveillance and eavesdropping technology had changed all that. With their news toys in tow, the feds were definitely armed and dangerous, and soon the secrets of the Mafia were being brought to light.