The man they called “The Beast” of Sobibor is dead, his body discovered in his secluded Brazilian hideaway with a knife lodged in his chest, a final, silent end to a life that redefined the depths of human cruelty. Gustav Franz Wagner, the deputy commandant of the Sobibor extermination camp, was found on October 3, … Read more
FOTHERINGHAY CASTLE, England — In a scene of macabre butchery that shocked even the hardened courtiers of the Tudor court, Mary Queen of Scots was executed this morning within the great hall of Fotheringhay Castle, her death marred by a bungled series of axe blows that turned a state-sanctioned killing into a gruesome spectacle. The … Read more
In the spring of 1910, a 78-year-old man named Obadiah Crenshaw gave a testimony that he had refused to share for more than three decades, describing something he witnessed in 1878 in a small Amish settlement on the western edge of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His account was written down by a young Mennonite minister on … Read more
Michael Franzese, a former captain in the Colombo crime family, has spent years speaking to audiences around the world. During nearly every Q&A session, he says he gets the same three questions. People want to know where Jimmy Hoffa is buried. They ask whether he ever killed anyone. And they want to know where all … Read more
Michael Francis, the former mob figure who now runs a wine business and hosts a popular YouTube channel, sat down for a dinner and Q&A session where he answered questions from fans about his past, his family, and his current life. The event covered everything from his first time getting drunk to his thoughts on … Read more
MOSCOW, March 6, 1953 – The Soviet Union awoke this morning to the stark, chilling reality that its iron-fisted ruler for nearly three decades, General Secretary Joseph Stalin, is dead. The 74-year-old dictator, whose name has been synonymous with absolute power, mass terror, and the triumphant defeat of Nazi Germany, passed away at 9:50 PM … Read more
On the morning of June 6, 1944, the first American soldiers reached Omaha Beach and faced defenses the Germans had spent two years building. Within minutes, the leading assault companies were destroyed. Officers fell in the surf. Sergeants fell beside them. In some companies, the men supposed to give orders were gone before a single … Read more
The conversation between former FBI agent Joe Pistone, known as Donnie Brasco, and former mob associate Michael Franzese offers a rare look at the inner workings of organized crime. The two men recently discussed the dangers of undercover work, the rules of the mob, and the complicated bonds formed on opposite sides of the law. … Read more
The man known as the “Cyclops” of Auschwitz, a Nazi sergeant who hurled living children into blazing fire pits and shot mothers in the stomach to watch them burn, was hanged for his crimes on May 28, 1946, in the courtyard of Landsberg prison, bringing a brutal end to a reign of terror that defined … Read more
In 1986, *Fortune* magazine published a list of the 50 biggest and most powerful mob bosses in America. For the underworld, it was like the Fortune 500. The list ranked men by power, money, and influence. One man on that list was Michael Franzese, a capo in the Colombo family. He was ranked number 18 … Read more