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John Franz nicknamed Sonny was a legendary figure in the American Mafia
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born at the beginning of the 20th century he lived into the early 21st century becoming the oldest mobster in
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history Sunny kept ties with all the iconic members of kostra and became one
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of them himself fully immersed in the life of a mobster he strictly adhered to
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its rules proving his loyalty on multiple occasions he is rightly considered one of the most resilient
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criminals never cooperating with the authorities no matter how many years of imprisonment he was threatened with
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Sonni always stayed true to his choice without hesitation which cost him numerous prison terms eventually
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spanning several decades during his long life Sunny managed to do many
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things he had an affair with Marilyn Monroe the top Beauty symbol of the 20th
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century and helped introduce Bob Marley to the world Andy also sponsored the
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highest grossing porno ever made in the genre today's story is not just
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retelling of a gangster's life we're taking a retrospective look at a major part of the history behind
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the American Mafia through the lens of one man John Franz named Sonny saw how
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the older generation Rose from bootlegging alcohol participated in the transformation of kostra into the
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dominant crime organization in the United States during the 20th century
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and finally witnessed its decline as it either went underground or disappeared
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altogether if you're interested in hearing the story of the man who probably most embodies the title of
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mobster then meet John Franz a legend on the other side of the law John
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Franz was born in 1917 during one of his family's trips
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back home home to Italy he hardly remembered that period of his life as his parents almost
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immediately moved back to New York City where he spent his childhood the author
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whose research I based my video on today claims that Jon's father Carmine stopped
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his criminal activities by the time JN was born however Francisco as I discussed in my video on the birth of
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the American Mafia began to recruit members into the mafia around 1917
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if Carmine was connected with crime at that time he most likely belonged to the Brooklyn kamora consisting solely of
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natives from Naples in the legal sector Carmine owned a bar and a bakery so
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John's story is not one of Rags riches he was never in the dirt but it's also
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not a story of a father amassing a fortune and then sending his children to the best schools and universities Jon
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did not lack for anything but still grew up and studied in the usual neighborhoods of Brooklyn which at that
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time were not the best environments for raising a law abiding citizen John spent
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his entire Adolescence in street fights and even managed to get into some underground fist fights if you believe
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his own words he was an excellent fighter very rarely losing it was
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because of a fight that Jon was expelled from high school at the age of 14 ending
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his formal education according to Legend it was around the same time that he committed
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his first murder Carmine who was a local man supposedly witnessed his son killing
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a man in the back room of his Bakery whether or not this is true is for you
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to decide however John who I will now refer to by his nickname Sunny certainly
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led a life that would become the stuff of Legend sunny began to drift increasingly toward illegal activities
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his father probably didn't want that for his son and tried to get him a legal job at his Bakery managing one of the
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floating dice games in Brooklyn these games were called floating dice games
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because they were held at different locations each time making it harder for the police to track down gambling
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offenders around the same time Sunny was accepted into the profasi family for
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whom he ran the dice games from here on I will refer to this family
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as the Columbo family as this is the modern name used for them the Columbo
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family got its name after Joe valachi's testimony where he named the families after the people who led them although
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Columbo was in charge of the family later at the time of Sunny's initiation
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it was still run by profasi Sunny's trouble with the law started simultaneously by the time he was 21 he
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had already been arrested twice for troublemaking and once for assault in all three cases he received no
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significant punishment he would go on to have dozens of arrests and until the
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1960s he successfully dealt with all of them and remained free Sonny took a
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brief break from his criminal career only when the US entered World War I E
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and he volunteered for the front during his military training in the US Franz
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acted as if he had never left his old life behind he constantly got into conflicts and fights and even had a
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fling with the wife of a major as a result just before he was sent to the front he was discharged from the Army as
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unreliable such a violent character would have created unnecessary problems
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in the documents the reason for his discharge was given as pronounced psychopathy which wasn't far from the
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truth considering he had killed many people in his lifetime authorities spec
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speculated that the number of hit Franz ordered went over 50 Sonny was a very
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tough guy with an intimidating reputation As Told by people who knew him during his Youth and adulthood more
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often than not just a stern look from him was enough for the other guy to know that fighting was useless such a
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reputation wasn't created in a single year it wasn't just rumors that he had killed someone or that he was a member
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of the mafia Sunny was careful making sure that people couldn't even open
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their mouths with a disrespectful tone in his direction for example he once
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sold a car to a dealership in his neighborhood the owner of the dealership when presenting it to potential buyers
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joked that they should check the car thoroughly because it was driven by sunny sunny found out about it and took
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it as an insult first of all he lived in a decent neighborhood and not many
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people there knew what he was up to such jokes could raise questions secondly it was a hint that he
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could not keep track of things in the end the owner of the dealership was beaten up by several guys and spent the
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rest of his life in a wheelchair but I think you already know what kind of guy Sunny was it was his
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Persona that helped him build his reputation in Mafia Circles by the late
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1950s Sunny was considered one of the test so when the Gallow Brothers
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revolted in the family and kidnapped several people he was one of the negotiators on behalf of the family for
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those not in the no in the early 1960s there was a war between the Gallow
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Brothers faction and the profasi family the Gallow brothers were unhappy
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with the way the family was dividing money and racketeering profits in February
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1961 they demanded more racketeering shares and amnesty for the kidnappings they had committed
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profasi promised that they would get it but soon after his men attempted to kill
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one of the Gallow Brothers the assassination attempt carried out by Carmine perso failed but it still led to
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an open conflict conflict resulted in the deaths of many people about a year
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after the conflict began Joe profasi died his successor Joe mag lioko
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continued the war in my video about Joe bonano I summarized how Magoo and bonano
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planned to kill three members of the commission with whom they had an unspoken agreement it was like a mafia
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Cold War Magoo relied on a man named Joe Columbo who betrayed him and told the
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commission everything Magoo was not killed but was forced to resign and his
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place was taken by Colombo who was able to finally negotiate with the Gallow brothers and end the years long conflict
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as a result of all this turmoil Franz was promoted to Captain for those who
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don't know the commission is a body for resolving disputes in the American Mafia
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which includes the bosses of the strongest families in the country after all this time since
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demobilization Sunny not only tried to avoid getting killed in the inclan war
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or intimidate undesirable people but also built his criminal business Network
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it must be said that he was just as good at that as he was at killing from
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running the floating dice games he started with sunny went on to patronize four bookies who brought in about
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$80,000 a week Sunny provided his bookies with protection from other gangsters and assigned people to recover
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debts from Lost customers another form of income for sunny was unethical loans
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which he extracted in a very unusual way one time a senior Bank employee came to
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him for a loan after losing a big amount playing cards and urgently needed money
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Sunny lent it to him but in return asked for a favor the employee had to ensure
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that Sunny's people got loans at favorable interest rates in this way Sunny's loone sharks took money from the
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bank at five 10 interest and gave it out on the street at 15 the difference went
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into their pockets and no one risked their money Sonny also made money from labor unions in a suburb of New York
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called Long Island he formed a group called The Long Island Barbers each member paid a $50 Initiation fee and
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another $10 monthly fee most of them joined the organization under threats of
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physical violence although Sunny knew how to act more elegantly he preferred
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brutal methods but could be subtle when necessary for example to extort monthly
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payments from bar shops Sunny's men planted pests like mice rats or cockroaches in the shops as soon as the
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owner got rid of them the pests would reappear ensuring the shop owners would comply with Sunny's demands this went on
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for a month until Sunny took one last step before proposing an end to all the
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madness the buber shop owner sent local boys to fetch him coffee every morning
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Sunny's men intercepted the boys and paid them to deliver bees instead of coffee you can imagine the chaos that
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erupted in the barber shop the next day a couple of guys showed up and demanded $5,000 to make it all stop the owner
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decided it was better to pay up Sunny also had a hand in breaking into the music business he opened a small booking
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agency and began helping unknown talented performers get work in bars and clubs in New York he played a role in
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launching the careers of Sammy cook Johnny Nash and a female Trio called The
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Supremes Sunny also helped introduce Bob Marley to the World by providing the initial
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Capital to producer Danny Sims who discovered Marley in addition to the
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booking agency Sunny was an unspoken partner in several recording studios
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such as Kamas Sutra records Buddha records butter records and Capital
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Records however he wasn't the benevolent type who lifted unknown musicians out of
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obscurity provided for them and then disappeared from their lives it was
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nothing like that musicians were exploited for maximum profit often
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squeezed dry and discarded to achieve this they were tricked into signing
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exploitative contracts without a second thought if a musician discovered the deception and wanted to leave they were
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often threatened with violence such as being hung upside down from a window or hospitalized after a beating to
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discourage any attempt at Seeking Justice one of son's most unconventional
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activities included sponsoring the most lucrative pornographic movie in history
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in 1973 the US Supreme Court's ruling that most forms of pornography were protected
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by the First Amendment caus a surge in the porn industry pornographic material
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began to be sold openly and shown in movie theaters while peep shows became
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immensely profitable Ventures a peep show for those unfamiliar
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involved patrons purchasing tokens from an attendant and using them to view explicit content through a machine some
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peep shows even featured live girls operating like 20th century sex cam
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Studios Marty hodus was a major player in this field in New York earning
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staggering profits authorities estimated that one of his establishments brought
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in around $15 million annually equivalent to about
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$10 million today naturally such success didn't escaped notice and sunny
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approached hodas asking to become Partners hodas refused prompting Sunny's
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men to resort to psychological Terror they kidnapped Marty's six-year-old son
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one afternoon as he disembarked from the school bus returning him in the evening with a note warning hodas to reconsider
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his decision after the kidnapping incident which involved hod Do's 12-year-old son Marty decided to avoid
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any further confrontations fronz entered hod Us's business under strict terms
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Marty paid him $100,000 in weekly installments of $4,000 and committed to
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paying an additional $100 per week regularly moreover hodas was compelled
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to open all new establishments in a 50/50 partnership with Sonni in addition
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to his involvement in peep shows and the pornography industry Sunny expanded his
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revenue streams through credit card extortion protection rackets and theft
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ranging from homes to Banks the 1960s marked a golden age for Sonni where he
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amassed considerable wealth held unquestionable street credibility and
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managed to evade numerous arrests enabling him to freely roam the streets
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of New York shop in local stores and relax in clubs Sunny was a prominent
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figure in clubs and bars with access to Elite venues like the copaa bana through
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the back door he could sit at a prime table next to famous actors or singers
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without facing any challenges his influence was such that celebrities and
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female sex symbols of the mid 20th century like Marilyn Monroe and Jane
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Monroe and Jane Mansfield would approach him to say hello
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however along with the advantages of wealth power and influence in the criminal World Sunny also attracted
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significant attention from law enforcement by the late 1950s Sunny had risen as a prominent figure in the mafia
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he was known both as a tough enforcer capable of handling Dirty Work and as a
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successful earner bringing in substantial profits for his family unfortunately for Sonny this rise
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coincided with a period when us authori were intensifying their efforts against
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organized crime peral 1957 Appalachian meeting where key bosses of all mafia
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families gathered and Joe valachi's 1963 defection and subsequent testimony which
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confirmed the existence and inner workings of kosa Nostra marked turning points valachi's Revelations widely
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televised forced authorities to confront the mafia threat head on
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this sparked a Relentless pursuit of top Mafia figures that would span several
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years Sunny frany quickly became a target for law enforcement due to his
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frequent arrests however these often resulted in minimal charges or witness
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intimidation leading authorities to initially view him as just one of many smalltime racketeers yet recognizing
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that dismantling the mafia required targeting its top echelons authorities
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began methodically targeting leaders like Sni who was identified as one of the most influential figures in the
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Colombo family in particular with the help of confidential informant Gregory
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scarper law enforcement intensified their focus on Sunny they meticulously checked their
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leads and compiled an extensive list of suspected gangsters with Sunny's name
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high on the priority list the authorities went to Great Lengths even bugging his house during construction
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placing devices in the walls and regularly sifting through his trash until it was collected surveillance was
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constant although Sunny skillfully evaded detection when meeting others discreetly and ensured no sensitive
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discussions occurred at home or over the phone despite their efforts law
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enforcement struggled to gather actionable evidence against Sonni he maintained Extreme Caution in his
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activities never discussing illicit business in in vulnerable locations this
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persistent Pursuit did not deter authorities who redoubled their efforts by arresting Associates and probing
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deeper into s's operation as the state authori scrutiny
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intensified so did media interest criminal journalists began scrutinizing
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Sni adding to his Mystique as a formidable figure in the Underworld this
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heightened attention created an aura of notoriety around him Francis ultimately had to confront the
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reality of his situation when would this all come to
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aead of course before diving into the trials let's backtrack for a moment to
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the 1930s future mob boss veto geneves attempted to orchestrate a murder in a
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way that would Shield him from suspicion according to reports one Hitman was
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supposed to kill another Hitman making the plot incredibly complex however the
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plan was exposed leading to turmoil in the Underworld moving forward to the 1940s
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one of these Hitmen testified against veto geneves while geneves managed to evade conviction in that case involving
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poisoning another Hitman whose testimony was insufficient faced a different fate
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his name was Ernie rupo and he was found dead in 1964 authorities tried to pin rupo
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murder on Frances citing a conflict over racketeering and extortion Witnesses
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supposedly heard Sunny ordering the hit on rupolo and saw the murder take place
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determining who was lying and who was telling the truth in this case proved challenging however Franz was eventually
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implicated rupo left behind a wife named Elenor who later remarried a man named
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John cordaro cordaro entered business Partnerships with individuals like James
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Smith Charles and Garrett parks in 19 Smith Charles and Garrett parks in
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19 they later claimed that Frances personally met with them and gave
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instructions during their testimony the authorities sought to build a case against
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Sunny however there were glaring inconsistencies the robbers for instance
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did not maintain their story consistently and the defense argued that the authorities coerced them into
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implicating sunny in exchange for leniency it was unusual for the typically cautious Sunny who usually
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issued orders through proxies to directly involve himself with street level guys the trial lasted 5 weeks with
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the prosecution painting sunny as The Mastermind behind numerous robberies his formidable reputation likely deterred
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the robbers from speaking up earlier out of fear for their lives the prosecution bolstered their case
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with son's past charges including kidnapping murder racketeering and
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extortion in response the defense argued that the Witnesses were unreliable criminals and drug addicts which held
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some truth despite these arguments the jury found Fran guilty numerous appeals
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followed the verdict considering his extensive criminal record and the aggravating factors involved Sunny
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received a lengthy sentence meanwhile while the robbers received much shorter terms not exceeding 5 years Sunny was
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incarcerated at lenworth Penitentiary where FBI agents approached him immediately offering a reduced sentence
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in exchange for cooperation against the Columbo crime family Sunny however
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refused the deal in prison Sunny quickly assumed a leadership role among fellow
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Mobsters navigating disputes and maintaining his status within the organization between handling business
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matters and spending time in his cell reading Sunny remained a commanding presence outside the Prison Walls drama
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unfolded as s's adopted child sought legal Avenues to secure his release
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despite spending heavily on lawyers and filing numerous appeals they struggled to find a viable legal strategy as
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previous Court decisions favored execution and subsequent motions for reconsideration were consistently denied
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dened amidst this turmoil Eleanor the wife of the robber John cordaro who
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testified against son engaged in a heated altercation with her husband
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during which she narrowly escaped serious harm upon learning of Eleanor's
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potential testimony Michael swiftly dispatched a man to persuade her to change her statement regarding corduro
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and the others after careful consideration Eleanor agreed to cooperate but she made a surprising
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decision when the man approached her to negotiate she revealed everything to him
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out of fear the informant immediately informed the FBI who initially doubted
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her sudden change of heart from being bribed to speak a certain way nevertheless Eleanor persisted in
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seeking Avenues to assist Sonni she continued to advocate for his release
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petitioning for an independent investigation into her husband's activities through the the press one
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journalist named Manny topple corroborated her claims highlighting Sunny's exemplary conduct in prison
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eventually these efforts led to Sonny being released on parole although probation violations due to associations
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with criminal entities periodically returned him to prison over the years after his release Sunny returned
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to his criminal Enterprises maintaining his businesses and continuing his involvement in organizing crime despite
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occasional returns to jail due to probation violations linked to his associations he resumed his operations
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he resumed his operations notably he worked at a Mazda dealership owned by
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his son who later became known for his YouTube Vlog discussing Mafia history
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and related topics much like his father in the colbo family Sonny's influence
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remained strong and he was approached by Lombardo to assist with issues involving smalltime racketeers Sunny addressed the
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problem and involved his son Michael who partnered with Lombardo in a scheme involving a gasoline tax scam this
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scheme detailed in my video on the Russian mafia in the US involved
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creating a wholesale company that sold gasoline to stations with the tax already factored into the price the
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proceeds from the inflated prices were pocketed rather than remitted to the state highlighting the continuation of
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son's criminal activities while Michael thrived in his criminal Enterprises particularly with
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the lucrative gasoline tax scam involving Partnerships with Russian mafia figures his success came to an
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abrupt end when he received a 10-year prison sentence this marked a
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significant blow for sunny who experienced one of the hardest hits of his life Michael facing serious charges
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struck a deal with authorities to cooperate which endangered him within the Colombo family according to
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whistleblower Gregory Scarpa the Colombo family initially intended to have Michael killed for his betrayal
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orchestrated by Norby Walters a family associate deeply involved in criminal
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activities however through Sunny's influence and negotiations with Carmine pery Co Michael's life was spared in
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exchange Michael agreed to relinquish a substantial portion of his amassed wealth from the gasoline scam amounting
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to tens of millions of dollars throughout these turbulent times Sun
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continued his cycle of parole violations and intermittent returns to prison
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maintaining his criminal operations meanwhile his son johon led a markedly
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different life resembling his father in appearance but contrasting in character
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Jon struggled with severe drug addiction for years he often resorted to stealing
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from his parents' home leading to strained relationships and sporadic returns home when in need concerned for
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his well-being his mother eventually intervened by placing him in rehab to address his addiction
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issues after John's stint in rehab his mother's gesture of giving him a new Jaguar was intended to support his Fresh
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Start unfortunately Jon sold the car for a fraction of its value and embarked on
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a month-long binge despite these setbacks his father gradually began
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involving him more in family business matters Jon's commitment to sobriety
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strengthened over time he stopped frequenting drug houses and focused on his
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responsibilities particularly in collecting money and ensuring business owners paid their dues however his
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involvement almost led to tragedy during a violent internal conflict within the Colombo family the conflict pitted boss
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Carmine perso against his subordinate Vic aren who sought to seize power
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Arena's supporters targeted JN intending to send a message and potentially
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eliminate him fortunately Jon's cousin also connected to the family intervened
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and broke at a deal that spared his life the conflict persisted until December
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1992 when Arena was sentenced to life in prison solid defying PR's leadership
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despite tensions Sunny upon his release in 1994 focused on unifying the family
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he organized meetings among captains to address lingering issues and Foster Unity after the turbulent period of
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internal strife despite Jon's struggles with addiction and his troubled past
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Sunny remained a steadfast figure within the mafia upholding its principles
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without wavering despite numerous incar ER ations and his continued involvement in criminal activities like extortion
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and murder Sun maintained his loyalty to kosa Nostra interestingly Sunny's commitment
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to the mafia contrasted sharply with his second son John who ultimately became a
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government informant in the 1990s Jon fell back into drug addiction spending
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nights in drug addiction spending nights in drug houses and stealing from family members while his father was in prison
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unable to cope alone his mother faced challenges in managing Jon's Behavior
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Jon's downward spiral culminated in his arrest while under the influence in an unregistered vehicle he pleaded guilty
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and received a one-year jail sentence during his time Behind Bars Jon
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reflected deeply on his life choices eventually he made a significant decision to cooperate with the FBI a
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rare Choice among those deeply involved in organized crime k cooperating with the authorities is usually met with
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skepticism and often results in rejection however Jon's willingness to
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meet with FBI agents signaled a pivotal shift in his life trajectory despite his deep involvement
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in crime Sunny remained a figure of loyalty within the mafia even mentoring
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individuals like gatan Fado who became like a son to him after Jon's betrayal
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Sunny imparted his extensive Criminal knowledge to ferado teaching him everything from disposing of bodies to
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intimidation tactics sharing stories of his own life and experiences including the numerous
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people he had killed ironically ferado whom Sunny trusted deeply turned out to
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be an informant as well unbeknownst to Sunni his conversations with ferado were
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recorded capturing all his candid advice and stories this twist of fate
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underscored sunny iconic status in the Underworld a mobster who never
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cooperated with authorities finding himself surrounded by informants and Deals made against him Sunny's life was
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marked by contradictions while he upheld Mafia principles and evaded law enforcement
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for decades his trust in those close to him was ultimately exploited leading to
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unforeseen betrayals the story of John Sunny Fran is indeed a dramatic tale of Mafia life
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and family betrayals at over 90 years old Sunny faced another trial for racketeering and extortion where
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testimonies from his son John and Gano Fado whom he mentored contributed to his
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conviction the sight of a nonagenarian facing such charges added a surreal
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Dimension to the courtroom drama especially with his own son testifying against him despite expectations that he
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would spend his final days in prison Sunny was was released in
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2017 becoming the oldest federal inmate at the time he spent his remaining years
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in a nursing home where he reportedly expressed forgiveness towards his family and advised his grandchildren to stay
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away from a life of crime sunny frances's life encapsulates the
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complexities of loyalty betrayal and the harsh realities of organized
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crime his legacy serves as a cautionary tale of about the consequences of
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choosing a life of crime and the impacts it can have on both oneself and future
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Generations if you enjoyed the story of the enigmatic Sunny Franz don't forget
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to like subscribe and hit the Bell icon for more gripping Tales From history's
32:46
underworld stay tuned for our next episode thank you for watching