From Mob Boss to Man of Faith: The Real Story of Michael Franzese

About this episode

Michael Franzese shares his journey from being a mob boss to finding faith and redemption.

Michael Franzese, former Colombo crime family captain, author, speaker, husband, father, and one of the only men to publicly walk away from the mob life and live to tell the story, joins The Determined Society for a powerful conversation on family, loyalty, faith, accountability, forgiveness, and redemption. In this episode, Shawn French and Michael discuss the moment his father was sentenced to 50 years in prison, why Michael left the path to becoming a doctor, what it meant to enter the Colombo family, the blood oath, the gasoline tax scheme, trials, prison, and the decision to walk away from the life publicly. Michael also opens up about the contract placed on his life, his complicated relationship with his father, reconciling with his brother, refusing to cooperate, and how faith helped him rebuild a life rooted in family, purpose, and second chances. The Determined Society is hosted by Shawn French — a show for people who refuse to quit. Every episode goes beyond the highlight reel to explore the real stories behind resilience, reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of a life built on your own terms. Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all others.. If this…

People in this episode

Host: Shawn French

Guest: Michael Franzese

Topics covered

• crime
• faith
• redemption
• family
• loyalty
• forgiveness

Keywords

• mob life
• Colombo family
• faith
• redemption
• forgiveness
• family loyalty
• second chances

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Colombo crime family

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