These days he spends lots of time doing motivational and informative public speaking engagements. He has not lost his business savvy with the life change. Michael stuck to his guns though, and never looked back. This came as a shock to his associates and his father was not happy about it. Upon his release in 1994, Franzese decided he was done with the underworld. He was one of the highest earners in the New York mob in the 1970’s and 1980’s.īy the early 1990’s he became bogged down in legal battles and spent some time in prison. He was involved in both high level criminal and legitimate businesses and excelled at both. Michael was given the nickname “The Yuppie Don” because of his heavy influence in the area of white collar crime. #22 Michael “The Yuppie Don” Franzeseįranzese is a retired mobster and the son of for Colombo underboss Sonny Franzese. His reign would last less than two weeks as him and Paul were famously gunned down in front of Sparks Steakhouse in Manhattan that same month.
His core jobs were being Paul’s bodyguard and driver but somehow was promoted to underboss when Neil Dellacroce died in December 1985. Tommy rode Paul Castellano’s coattails all the way to the top. John Gotti was one of the guys who regularly roasted him with this name because he resented Bilotti. It’s safe to say that not many people would call Tommy Bilotti “The Toupee” to his face, but the nickname stuck hard with his fellow Gambinos. The funeral for Greasy Thumb was the biggest turnout for any mobster in history at the time.
He died of natural causes on February 21, 1956. Greasy Thumb Guzik kept his promise to Al Capone and looked after his family for years after Capone went to prison. When he felt like a man named Joe Howard had disrespected his friend, Capone personally killed him. He got his start with Al Capone and also worked under Tony Accardo and Paul “The Waiter” Ricca.Ĭapone in particular was very fond of Guzik. Guzik was the Outfit’s financial advisor for over three decades and widely considered the most talent greaser in the business. He would pay them off to receive legal breathing room for the Chicago Outfit. They called him “Greasy Thumb” because Jake Guzik had big connections in politics and law enforcement. He died of heart failure on May 10, 1992. He was in and out of jail every couple years during his active years. He did have a very explosive temper and ego that got him in lots of legal trouble and likely held him back from further advancement in the organization. Lombardozzi drove around in Rolls Royces, lived in a mansion and owned a yacht. He was the most prosperous and influential of all the Gambino family captains. #25 Carmine “The Italian Meyer Lansky” LombardozziĬarmine was given this flattering nickname because he was very talented in the rackets and a tremendous earner. Other times it was the press or even law enforcement who gave them names that they would always be known as, such as The Teflon Don, The Oddfather and The Lord High Executioner. The best mobster nicknames were sometimes given by their peers, like Gaspipe or The Grim Reaper.