STONE-OLD KILLER FREE
Mobster Sonny Franzese, 100, released from prison
HE BEAT A LIFE sentence.
At 100 years old, mobster John (Sonny) Franzese — the oldest inmate in the federal prison system — was released Friday from a Massachusetts lockup.
The former Colombo underboss finally saw the light of day after wrapping up an eight-year prison term at the Federal Medical Center in in Devens, Mass. He had been convicted of shaking down the Hustler and Penthouse strip clubs in Manhattan.
Franzese, who turned 100 this past February, arrived at his daughter’s Greenpoint, Brooklyn, home, where he plans to spend some time with his family. He was all smiles when a Daily News reporter saw him get out of a white Range Rover that had made the trip to Brooklyn.
Dressed in a gray sweatshirt and pants, the frail-looking Franzese was able to walk through the front door — with the aid of a walker and two family members. He did not speak as relatives welcomed him home with hugs.
“I am absolutely happy he’s home,” said 42-year-old grandson Pietro Scorsone. “He’s my grandpa. We love him. I mean he’s 100 years old. He doesn’t hear much at all. He doesn’t see well. He’s still very sharp though. He also has some prostate issues — normal things for a 100 year old man.”
Franzese’s son, Michael, who with his brother Carmine brought their dad back to the city, said the gangster has no big plans this weekend. Michael said his father plans to “just sit home and enjoy himself with the family . . . It’s all he wants to do.”
Franzese — who managed to get paroled at least six times during his legendary mob career — ended up back behind bars each time after associating with wiseguys.
In 2010, he was convicted — at age 93 and in a wheelchair — during a three-week trial on extortion charges after shaking down the strip clubs and a Long Island pizzeria.
Ahead of his sentencing, Franzese’s late wife, Cristina Capobianco-Franzese, pleaded with Brooklyn Federal Judge Brian Cogan for mercy because the two were still in love.
But Maria Scorsone told the judge her grandfather would be happier behind bars than at home with Cristina, “because in jail, he found more peace and support.”
Franzese told The News he had no fear of passing away while in prison. “Who cares?” he said. “I gotta die someplace.”
His estranged wife died in 2012.
The geriatric gangster had applied for “compassionate release consideration” in 2015 — arguing in a handwritten note that he had “extreme health issues” and hoped to spend the “little time left in my life” with family, which included eight kids, 18 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
His application at the time noted that he had spent more than 40 years behind bars throughout his life. When the warden denied the release request, Franzese turned to Judge Cogan asking to get out. But the jurist also denied Franzese early release in July 2016.
Franzese was once caught on wiretaps telling an informant about the ways to dispose of a body — even unable to recall how many people he’d killed over the decades.
“I killed a lot of guys. You’re not talking about four, five, six, ten,” he said.
Nonetheless, he was never convicted of any gangland murders.
The Long Island native has been around so long that he reportedly hobnobbed with the likes of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. at the Copacabana during the club’s heyday.
The old timer — dubbed the “Nodfather” for his courtroom siestas during his last trial — had to sit through his son, John Jr., taking the stand against him.
“My father was just broken over it,” said Michael, noting John Jr. is now somewhere in the witness protection program.
Michael said his dad lived by a code that said “you don’t put other people in trouble. You don’t cooperate with the government to save your own skin.”
His son added, “My dad was no angel. Nobody’s saying he wasn’t part of the (mob) life. He was.”
Looking at Franzese’s longevity, Michael said his father had good genes and always watched what he ate. Michael said his dad was also “a vitamin nut” — taking up to 30 a day.
“He’s a got a strong will to live,” he said.