Carmine (Tutti) Franzese: Numbers Specialist

Carmine (Tutti) Franzese was a soldier in the Colombo Family and the nephew of legendary capo/underboss John (Sonny) Franzese. He specialized in both the numbers business (policy) and sports bookmaking.

Carmine (Tutti) Franzese was born on January 25, 1932, at 346 Leonard Street in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn. He then moved to 505 Lorimer Street. Later, he relocated to 67-17 54th Avenue in nearby Maspeth in Queens and later to 51-38 69th Street.

Carmine (Tutti) Franzese

By the early 1980s, Tutti had relocated up to Hastings on the Hudson or Dobbs Ferry (not sure which) in Westchester County. He also maintained a winter condo down in Margate, Florida.

NYCPD # B-274013

He was the son of Onofrio (Nufio) and the grandson of Carmine (Turiddo di Leone,) both Profaci associates. He was also the nephew of legendary Profaci/Colombo capo/underboss John (Sonny) Franzese.

By the mid-1950s, Carmine was being identified by law enforcement as a mob associate. By the mid-1970s, law enforcement reported he was formally (inducted) as a soldier into the Family.

Side Note: Tutti was inducted in either the first or second wave as soon as the books opened in 1975 (proposed by Joseph Brancato).... I believe he was among the first 10 inducted.

Franzese, at 6-foot 2-inches tall and approximately 220-pounds, cut an imposing figure. He primarily operated in his boyhood neighborhood in the Greenpoint/Williamsburg sections of North Brooklyn and was also active in the Maspeth and Middle Village areas.

His activities included policy, bookmaking, dice games, football-sheet lottery, shylocking, extortion, strong-arm, and labor rackets.

Tutti was not oriented to business per se, but over the years, did own a discount dry-goods store, extensive real estate investments (apartment rentals) in the Williamsburg-Greenpoint areas, and Val Sports Service Inc.

He also operated a private mob social club off the corner of Leonard Street for many years.

His criminal associates included:

Sonny Franzese - his uncle and one of the most experienced of Family members. A longtime capo who served as underboss several times over the decades...... a top powerhouse of his era.

Joseph (Little Joey) Brancato - old-time neighborhood member and close associate.

His mentor, Joseph (Jojo) Vitacco - a veteran neighborhood soldier and enforcer.

Modesto (Duke) Santoro - veteran Family soldier, and friend.

Lazzaro (Larry) Sangiovanni - hijacker, Family associate, and friend.

Vincent (Jimmy Nap) Napoli - a neighborhood family friend and one of the top policy racketeers in the nation who became a Genovese power.

James (Lefty) Napoli Jr., - Napoli’s son and aide in the numbers business. Died young!

Pasquale (Patty Mac) Macchiarole - one-time top Genovese capo who was found murdered in his car trunk.

Vincent (Jamsey) Delio - Genovese member and nephew of Macchiarole. He was murdered shortly after Macchiarole.

Joseph (Do Do) Pastore - Family associate, hijacker, and cigarette smuggler. Tutti allegedly murdered him as a favor to Massino (as per Massino’s testimony).

Richard Dorme - Pastore’s half-brother and partner who was murdered shortly after Pastore.

Anthony (Donuts) DeDona - associate of Lucchese and Colombo crews, vending machine operator, and cigarette smuggler.

Vincent (Big Lou) Russo - Tutti's boyhood friend and lifelong partner who was later inducted into the Family under Tutti’s sponsorship (just before Tutti’s death - he kept his promise to Louie of “inducting” him).

Vito Loiacono - convicted bookmaker and partner of Tutti who ran Val Sports Service.

Joseph (Big Joey) Massino - boyhood friend.

Future Bonanno Boss Salvatore (Good Looking Sally) Vitale - a friend through Massino and future Bonanno underboss.

Upon becoming “straightened out”, he settled down, developing various gambling rackets. Always a low-key guy, quiet and reserved.....his manner served him well in future years helping him to avoid exposure and arrests.

He specialized in both the numbers business (policy) and sports bookmaking. His partner in these operations was (Big Lou) Russo with whom he would stay close and eventually propose Lou for formal induction.

Tutti was also always heavily engaged in the loanshark business. He had a large shy “book” operating “on the streets” for many years.

But his “candy” racket was both the printing and “banking” of his own “football sheets”.

These “parley combo” betting tickets displayed both college and pro football games of the week. They were very popular for decades with seasonal football fans.

He eventually partnered with a bookmaker named Vito Loiacono, who doubled as the owner and operator of a printing plant. Besides his legitimate printing customers, Vito surreptitiously printed these “football sheets” weekly.

Using his mob connections, Franzese and Loiacono soon had not only expanded their football sheet “betting” business to a huge volume but also were supplying many other crews and hoods with them as well - so each crew could book their own.

Charging $50 per 500 count box, and selling hundreds of boxes weekly, both the legal printing business and this side racket made Tutti a fortune for many years.

Side Note: Tutti netted an estimated several hundred thousand dollars annually just with this racket. The cost of printing these sheets was pennies per box. And he probably generated a gross of $400,000 to $500,000 (give or take) a year.....with a net probably close to that because of such low overhead.

In 1960, he was arrested, along with Brancato and his uncle Sonny, for contempt of a Kings County grand jury probing Brooklyn gambling rackets after they each repeatedly refused to answer questions put to them.

They were among 25 men that had been arrested for gambling at a large dice game at the Cafe Royale on New Utrecht Ave., in Brooklyn.

The D.A. also hit them with subpoenas and granted them each immunity to testify, but charged them with contempt after they still refused to speak.

In 1971, Tutti, Santoro, and Sangiovanni were indicted for a major extortion plot against the Mobil Oil Corp. They were charged with the extortion of over $130,000 in cash paid by Mobil for their “strikebreaking” services during a labor union strike by company workers.

Franzese and company-operated through Sular Enterprises Inc., a front company they utilized as a conduit to hire “scab” drivers and helpers to ensure delivery of Mobil gasoline to various stations and other customers.

The money was part of an alleged $300,000 demanded by them, “if Mobil didn’t wanna see violence like 1930s Chicago!”

The FBI indicted them on conspiracy, extortion, grand larceny, and forgery counts after they threatened the Mobil executives.

In later years, Tutti was shifted into the crew of (Donny Shacks) Montemorano, and later allegedly served in the (Jerry Lang) Langella regime.

By the mid to late 1980s, Franzese became aware he was under intense surveillance and being investigated by authorities.

He was preparing to get “picked-up” at some point and indicted for something. Many of his associates were being subpoenaed before grand juries and his name was being brought up way too frequently.

As it turned out, Tutti took ill, contracting cancer, I believe. Before long he got very sick and passed.... relatively quickly.

Carmine (Tutti) Franzese died on December 15, 1990. He was 58 years old. He actually beat the Feds by passing away, because, I believe, he was close to getting nailed for something.

It was a shame because as far as mob careers go, he successfully maintained a low profile while accumulating extensive wealth over his lifetime.

Many didn’t realize it, but Tutti Franzese (although he never flaunted it) had become a multi-millionaire from “the street”.

And I don’t believe he ever served any significant prison time if any at all......it’s a shame he didn't live long enough to enjoy his achievements!

Until next time..."The Other Guy"

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Carmine (Tutti) Franzese: Numbers Specialist

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