Saturday, May 17, 2025

How the Mafia Ruled the South

Carlos Marcello.  The Godfather of New Orleans.  For decades he was untouchable as he controlled Governors and the police as they helped him further his schemes. He was long suspected of being involved in the Kennedy assassination.  Former mobster Michael Franzese took on the subject of Mr. Marcello in his latest video about the mob.  Enjoy.  


37 comments:

Anonymous said...

So says this absolute rando on YouTube, right?

Anonymous said...

If it is on YouTube, it has to be the truth.

Anonymous said...

Very true. That's the law.

Anonymous said...

Quite repetitious. I agree with the presenter, Mafia is a part of American history and culture and we should acknowledge that. But he fails to add that we have to acknowledge, too, that there is nothing admirable about these parasites, nothing worthy of their portrayals as modern-day Robin Hoods or products of oppression. They are simply ticks on the American body aided by their many greedy hosts.

Anonymous said...

This guy is the real deal.

His father John 'Sonny' Franzese was also the real deal, made a capo by Joe Colombo in 1963.

Sonny caught his last federal conviction (for extorsion of strip clubs) in 2011 at the age of 94. For this he was locked up at FMC Devens where he was released at age 100 in 2018. Died at age 103.

Anonymous said...

Michael got the sweetest deal of anybody ever to flip, too. The U.S. attorney handling his case was halfway out the door to private practice & agreed that he would only have to cooperate/testify for a 1-year period.

When Sammy the Bull flipped, he asked for the Michael Franzese deal & was told no dice.

Anonymous said...

Rukia, pay your taxes, you scofflaw!

Anonymous said...

Sonny's son John Franzese got kind of a special deal too.

John agreed to a deal and part of that was he wore a wire around Sonny and then testified against him. That was part of the evidence that the feds used to convict Sonny at 94 years old.

After Sonny was released at 100 years old he was interviewed on camera by Newsday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aak10j8h4dI

Anonymous said...

I’ve been down this rabbit hole before and it’s interesting. Woody Harrelson’s father was connected with these folks.

Anonymous said...

One of my favorite Marcello quotes (according to a few NOLA friends) :

" I know nothing about the mafia stuff. I'm just an old man from Metairie that sells tomatos.

anonymous said...

there is no and never has been any mob in mississippi. we have corrupt politicians and government employees instead.

Anonymous said...

"there is no and never has been any mob in mississippi. we have corrupt politicians and government employees instead."
They don't want any competition

Anonymous said...

I long for the days when the mob ran things.

Anonymous said...

At 2:19pm
Your term: "extorsion (sic) of strip clubs" is a wonderful phrase envisioning the torquing, twerking, twisting and gyrating in those places.

Anonymous said...

My bad…I grew up thinking that Mike Gillich and Kirksey McCord of the Dixie Mafia ruled the South. I suppose they were friends with the real Mob and Marcello.

Anonymous said...

There's no doubt he controlled the massive gambling operations
on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

But I seriously doubt he knew any of the rednecks in their self proclaimed
"Dixie Mafia" club .

Moonshine , prostitutes and other crap coming over the Tennessee State Line

Anonymous said...

My understanding is the Mafi no longer controls the hotels in LV But they do control the Unions (everything is union) and can shut down every hotel and Casino if they don’t get their cut.

Anonymous said...

I'm with 8:12 - New Orleans was a lot nicer and safer when the mob was in charge than it is now. Be careful what you wish for.

Anonymous said...

It was an accidental typo. Spellchecking is now infected with AI and introduces more errors than it fixes, so it's sometimes turned off.

Anonymous said...

One of my favorite Sonny Franzese quotes when the feds asked him if he knew Frank Sinatra: "You asked the question the wrong way. You should have asked, ‘Did Frank Sinatra know Sonny Franzese?’”

Anonymous said...

My wife, as a teenager, made Marsello’s drinks for him while he discussed things with her father and his goons scanned the property.

Anonymous said...

Where you from? Tupelo? Coldwater? People on the coast know all the stories of the New Orleans mob roosting in Gulfport and Ocean Springs.

Anonymous said...

11:55 & 12:20, Michael Franzese is as good a source on mafia matters as you can get. He and his father were both high profile members of the Colombo family, his father an underboss and Michael a capo. If your first instinct is to shit on everything with a negative post, do yourself a favor and spend a few minutes on Google so the rest of us don’t have to weed through your inane comments.

Anonymous said...

Jackson is full of still serving elected wanna be mobsters. They will be convicted. Parasites comment is the best.

Anonymous said...

Franzese was a rarity in LCN: He had a college degree. Used those smarts to come up with the gas-tax scheme that led to his downfall. He’s adamant that he never killed anybody.

He also became a born-again Christian some years back.

Sammy The Bull did the same thing recently.

Anonymous said...

11:55 - don’t know much about the Mafia, do you?

Anonymous said...

The LCN is so vastly overrated and hyped that it is beyond description. Puhleeze. They are low IQ bullies, weak criminals, and BS artists. I put more than one capo in prison . They turn on each other with the drop of a hat. And most lead pathetic and incredibly boring lives. Good grief. The BS never stops. No they did not control governors. The Dixie Magia BS probably piles up the deepest as geezers grasp for relevance.

Anonymous said...

Interesting..The host has more good videos. Connects a lot of dots... I know of a now deceased lady who shared her first husband was part of Vegas mafia in the late 40's & 60's.. He was deep in Casino fraud and was found dead in a casino pool one morning. There was 2 girls and the widow left behind.

Anonymous said...

Sad to see Marcello’s on St Charles close. Was a great Italian place in the CBD. I know nothing of the syndicate connections. ;-)

Kingfish said...

His restaurant was Mosca's.

Anonymous said...

And Mosca’s is a great place to eat.

Anonymous said...

9:03 —

“The LCN” is redundant and makes no sense. Unless you think they called it “The this thing of ours.”

Doghaus said...

Amen

Kingfish said...

Yup. that was one point of the Sopranos. After a while, you realize these guys are scumbags who backstab each other, steal from even their own family, cause others to commit suicide, and kill on a whim .

Kingfish said...

If you read Mafia Kingfish, you will learn how Marcello and his patron, Costello, paid off Huey P. Long and the whole Long organization to allow them to bring slot machines into the state . The video doesn't mention that.

Anonymous said...

Marcello’s restaurant reopened in Covington.

Anonymous said...

Bay St. Louis 1972 the butcher at a local grocery had printed betting sheets on the counter. Sheets were for pro, ollege and probably high school whatever sport was in season. SOP on the coast. Didn't bet so can't say he was taking the money.


Recent Comments

Search Jackson Jambalaya

Subscribe to JJ's Youtube channel

Archives

Trollfest '09

Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


Note: Security provided by INS.

Trollfest '07

Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

Note: Security provided by INS
.