Michael Franzese, who is not one of the Menendez brothers, is one of the most infamous mob captains in modern time. He was one of the greatest earners since Al Capone and was the son of Sonny Franzese, an underboss of the Colombo crime family. He unsurprisingly had some transgressions he had to spend some time in prison for. During that time he got to know the Menendez’s and was even mistaken for one.
Prison Pals
Michael Franzese was in prison for a 10-year sentence and served four for one count of tax conspiracy and one count of racketeering conspiracy. He was imprisoned from 1985 to 1989 and again from 1991 to 1994 after violating his probation. That was a pretty sweet deal for someone who made roughly $10 million a week and avoided paying over $500 million in taxes.
The Menendez brothers were both arrested in March of 1990 and have remained in custody ever since for taking their parents’ lives. There is a clear overlap of time when the brothers and Franzese would have been in the same facility. We can further narrow down the time since Franzese had just left the facility when O.J. Simpson was arrested and was housed in solitary confinement, also known as ‘the hole’ near the Menendez brothers. Simpson was arrested in June of 1993. This means the mob capo and the brothers likely lived in the same death row tier together in 1992 and 1993.
In an interview with Vlad TV, Franzese bears it all when it comes to his relationship with Erik and Lyle Menendez. He says the brothers spoke with him all the time about their case since Franzese knew a little about the law. A benefit of the earner trade, so to speak. The Menendez brothers told him the same story they communicated publicly. He didn’t have any inside information on the case.
Mistaken Menendez Brothers Identity
During the interview, the mob capo tells a story about being mistaken for one of the Menendez brothers. When the brothers were separated after Lyle Menendez wrote an escape plan and smuggled it to Erik Menendez, Franzese was the victim of mistaken identity. The younger brother was moved out of their tier, and Franzese and Menendez would often be in the same ‘chain gang’ together. Prisoners in solitary confinement would be walked through the general population on their way to visits with outside people.
Both Lyle Menendez and Michael Franzese were popular guys with many visitors, so they were always walking together. This was a very negative association, as according to Franzese, the prisoners were threatening the lives of the Menendez brothers every time they walked to see a visitor. For an unclear reason, people particularly hated the brothers. A person killing their parents is not usually so negatively received, but as we know, the Menendez brothers are unique.
When Erik Menendez was moved, many of the prisoners mistook the rather tan Italian-American mob capo in his 30s for one of the half-Cuban, half-white brothers in their 20s. Most people were not aware that the brothers had been separated and clearly were not looking very closely at Mr. Franzese. As a result, the mob capo requested that he no longer walk with Lyle since he had enough trouble with his mafia ties. He didn’t need his life threatened for a crime he didn’t commit. Franzese was also wisely concerned about being attacked by prisoners.
Michael Franzese’s Thoughts
Franzese is vocal about the fact that the mafia does not kill women and children. He was frustrated with the story that the mob killed Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ron Goldman for that reason. Having the murder of Mrs. Menendez being attached to the mafia seemed to strike a nerve based on his reaction in the interview with Vlad TV. That is an interesting aspect of the story that often goes overlooked.
Based on his impression of what the brothers said, Michael Franzese stated in the interview that he believed that the entire situation was orchestrated by Lyle Menendez. The mob capo described Erik as younger and weaker and said Lyle did the heavy lifting. He felt Erik Menendez was a ‘poor soul’ and that his older brother was manipulative and overpowering.
Franzese pointed out that the Menendez brothers were not in mourning, and living a high lifestyle after the deaths which he labeled ‘not smart’ in the interview. He also felt there might have been some truth to the brothers claim about their father. Only a mob caporegime would describe two men who took their parent’s lives and behaved problematically afterwards as ‘not smart.’
Conclusion
A made man in the mafia lives a life of crime that requires a good sense of people. They have to be able to read people to preserve their lives. If Michael Franzese perceives Lyle Menendez as manipulative and overpowering, it would make sense to believe him. Erik Menendez is often portrayed as the weaker, more passive, and troubled of the brothers. It seems like the former mob capo had them figured out. Perhaps that is food for thought when considering how ‘Monsters’ portrayed the elder Menendez brother. Despite Erik speaking out about it. What do you think?
