Franzese - Blood Covenant

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

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

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

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!

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

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.