John Franzese's Estranged Wife Begs For Mercy But Kin Say He Is Happier In Jail
The estranged wife of 93-year-old mobster John "Sonny" Franzese is pleading for mercy on his behalf, telling a judge they're "in love."
The romantic bliss may be news to Franzese, whose granddaughter said he is happier in jail than at home with his wife.
When last heard from, the gangster's wife, Cristina Capobianco-Franzese, was being arrested for hijacking her husband and his wheelchair and taking him into the men's room in Brooklyn Federal Court.
She wanted to convince the legendary Colombo underboss to plead guilty so their turncoat son could get off the witness stand.
Sonny was eventually convicted of racketeering, and now Cristina, 75, is tugging at heartstrings to persuade a judge to go easy on the geezer gangster.
"In all this tragedy, we are in love," she wrote to federal Judge Brian Cogan, who had banned her from the courtroom after her hubby-napping stunt.
"I would want to see him home. I would be responsible for him and his actions."
The judge might not give the letter much weight, considering the note he received from Sonny's granddaughter, Maria Scorsone.
Scorsone wrote that her grandfather always seemed happier in jail than at home with Cristina, "because in jail, he found more peace and support."
After his release from prison in December 2008, Sonny moved out of his marital home and finally found happiness living with his daughter, Lorraine Scorsone, she said.
"Maybe it was his age, maybe happiness over finally being in a home that didn't contain his sociopathic wife," Maria Scorsone wrote.
At trial, defense lawyer Richard Lind had argued that Franzese was so pathetic "his own wife beats him up and abuses him."
The mobster faces up to 15 years in prison for shaking down Hustler and Penthouse strip joints, though it's unlikely he'll get the maximum because of his age.
Franzese, who was dubbed The Nodfather for snoozing at his three-week trial, told the Daily News last year he wasn't afraid of dying in prison.
"Who cares?" he said. "I gotta die someplace."
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